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THE 

UNKNOWN INDIAN 
























































































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The Council 


















I hlE 

N INDIAN 


GERTRUDE fttiEL^) EIKOWNE 



ILLUSTRATED 

BY 

DAVID 

THOMAS 

VERNON 

ALBERf^WHITMAN 

& 4c° 

CHICAGO 


1 . 0 . 


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The Unknown Indian 

Copyright 1930 by Albert Whitman & Co. 
Chicago U. S. A. 

Hot Suns and the Great Whiteness 
Copyright 1924. 


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Dug Out Canoe 


Historical Library 

Adventures of LaFayette 
Life of Benjamin Franklin 
Oft Told Tales of Lincoln 
Life of Geo. Washington 
Real Legends of New England 
Life of Abraham Lincoln 


printed in the u. s. a. 

ocr 14 1930 

©CIA 30898 



PROLOGUE 


The Unknown Indian was a young brave 
whose greatest exploit is told in tradition, but 
to whom historical credit has not been given 
owing to the tribal custom that the distinction 
must be awarded to the Sachem. 

As we follow the story of Tan-ta-quid-geon 
we see the picturesque daily life of the primi¬ 
tive Indians, not only of the Mohegans, but 
of other Algonquin tribes for, with some vari¬ 
ations, their customs were similar. 

In his childhood the young hero was carried 
in a cradle-board; he played the same games, 
and was taught the same legends as Crow 
Feather; like Red Squirrel, he spent lonely 
vigils in the forest while seeking his “Mystery.” 

Through him, Little Bird, the Indian maiden, 
and his friends we understand the ideals which 
governed their customs; their religion, in 
which they worshiped not only a Great Spirit, 
but many gods in nature, seeing in every nat¬ 
ural phenomenon a diety to be worshiped, or 
propitiated by sacrifices. We feel the meaning 




underlying the ceremonial chants and dances, 
whether of sacred ritual, of festival rejoicing, 
or in the scalp dance, celebrating victorious 
warfare, and the sacred obligation of sending 
the souls of slain enemies on the Long Trail 
to the spirit world. 

We feel their poetic appreciation of nature; 
we see the life of the forest camp from their 
point of view, instead of according to the stern 
judgments of the Puritan settlers. 

Facts concerning Indian customs and lore 
have been gathered from too many sources to 
mention all, but suggestions for the corn cere¬ 
monial were found in the writings of Miss 
Alice C. Fletcher, and special acknowledg¬ 
ment is given to the Memoirs of the Mohegans, 
and of other Abnaki tribes, by Dr. Frank G. 
Speck. The songs and chants are not literal 
translations, for frequently syllables, instead 
of words, were used and the underlying 
thought was expressed in the music, the rhythm 
and the gestures. 

The historical parts are based on Winthrop’s 
Journal, De Forest’s History of the Indians of 
Connecticut and Caulkins’ History of Norwich. 

Gertrude Bell Browne. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Prologue . 7 

I Tantaquidgeon . 13 

II The Encampment. 26 

III Suspicion and Jealousy. 35 

IV Driving the Fish. 41 

V Moon of the Corn Planting. 49 

VI Seeking His Mystery. 58 

VII Call from the Corn Fields. 69 

VIII The Feast of the Strawberries. 78 

IX The Ball Game. 92 

X The Thunder Moon. 100 

XI First Corn. 107 

XII The Corn Feast. 114 

XIII The Harvest. 122 

XIV Hunting the Deer. 127 

XV Trapping the Beaver. 136 

XVI Moon of the Snowshoes. 146 

XVII Moon of Difficulty. 154 

XVIII Old Legends.:. 160 





















PAGE 

XIX How Tobacco Came. 165 

XX Occupations of the Gadon. 171 

XXI Hunting Legends. 177 

XXII Winter Hunting.- 182 

XXIII The Maple Sugar Dance. 190 

XXIV Springtime. 196 

XXV Treachery. 202 

XXVI The Sally Against Sequassen.. 208 

XXVII The Following Suns. 219 

XXVIII The Alarm . 223 

XXIX Story of the Battle. 235 

XXX Uncas Keeps the Treaty. 243 

XXXI The Departure. 251 

XXXII Moon of the Hot Suns... 259 

XXXIII Miantonomo Sent on the Long Trail.... 269 

XXXIV The Paleface Soldiers. 272 

XXXV Moon of the Falling Leaf. 282 

Epilogue. 294 

Glossary .298 




















THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 




Tantaquidgeon on the Trail 












The 

Unknown Indian 



THE TIME 

According to the notches cut in the Time Stick, 
five Winters had passed since the Great Pequot War. 

The Paleface Fathers called it, The Year of Our 
Lord One Thousand Six Hundred and. Forty-two. 


I. 

Tantaquidgeon 

“Ekwi! Nu gutaia nu?” (Hello! How are 
you?) to the scout who had come to relieve 
him. A brief reply, and with a parting “Ne- 
gita ni” (I am going), Tan-ta-quid-geon left the 
rude shelter hidden among the trees. Formed 
of saplings, half lopped off and falling side- 
wise to the ground, then interwoven with small 
branches to form a screen, and with only the 
boughs of a pine tree, under which it stood, for 


13 






14 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


a roof, it was too crude to be called a Jo kwien 
(wigwam). 

Waving a farewell he ran lightly down the 
trail in the direction of his home; glad to leave 
the rough shelter for the comfort of his 
mother’s wigwam at the settlement far down 
in the valley; glad, too, at the thought of warm 
food, for several days had passed since he had 
eaten anything but yokeg (parched corn) and 
dried berries. 

No camp fire could be kindled in the habita¬ 
tion of a scout guarding a ford on a trail lead¬ 
ing into the country of an.enemy; for no curl¬ 
ing smoke must betray the place of conceal¬ 
ment; no odor of food, cooking, assail the nos¬ 
trils of a skulking foe, and give notice that 
watchers were in readiness to give warning of 
an enemy raid. 

It was late springtime. The tender, delicate 
leaves stirred by the breezes, cast flickering 
shadows across his face; but did not temper 
the rays from Father Sun, glowing overhead, 
with the heat of the first summer-like days. His 
rapid pace had soon slackened, for a short dis¬ 
tance from the ford the hill rose sharply and 
the trail led over the highest point of land in 
the vicinity. Beside the trail, the violets spring- 



TANTAQUIDGEON 


15 


ing up through the dry pine needles, formed a 
mat of delicate blue. Sometimes he stepped 
aside when a rocky spot promised a late bloom¬ 
ing of the fragrant arbutus. Little underbrush 
impeded his search, for the fires kindled dur¬ 
ing the autumn hunts destroyed the small 
growth. 

As he reached the summit he turned for a 
view of the far-away hill capped with silex, 
white as the snows of winter. Then began a 
sharp descent to the small ravine where a 
brook, dammed by boulders, had formed a 
small pool. Throwing aside the deerskin that 
covered his shoulders he sat down on a rock 
to remove his fringed leggins, his moccasins, 
and breech-cloth; then plunging into the 
water swam the few strokes to the other side 
of the pool. Back and forth he swam until 
thoroughly cool and refreshed, then coming 
out sat down in a sunny place to dry off. Tall 
and slender, straight as an arrow, lithe with 
training for contests in swimming and running, 
it would have been hard to find a finer speci¬ 
men of youthful manhood. His smooth flesh 
was still unscarred by battle. 

Although five Winters had passed since, 
boyhood over, he had gone alone into the for- 




16 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


est, fasting, while he sought for the symbol of 
the mysterious power uniting him with the uni¬ 
verse, his precious Medicine bundle had re¬ 
ceived no test of its power to protect him in 
warfare. 

Again on the trail, winding down the hill, it 
was not long before he reached the level plain 
with its small clearing, where a few decaying 
poles revealed the camp site where his ances¬ 
tors had lived before the war with the Pequots. 
The trail passed their burial place. At the 
spring near the basin of the Yantuck, he 
stopped to quench his thirst, but first pausing 
with alert glances to search for marauders who 
might have evaded the scouts at the westward. 
Bow and arrow closely grasped for ready pro¬ 
tection, he knelt to drink from the clear, 
bubbling water; then on again past the noisy 
waterfall, toward the ford above. 

There was no need for haste, because the 
Sun was still high and he stopped to watch the 
water dashing over the rocks and churning 
about in the deep holes worn in the soft ledge 
at the foot of the fall; then plunging wildly 
around the jagged rocks in the narrow ravine, 
before it found repose in the quiet basin below. 
A few more paces and the ford was crossed, 




TANTAQUIDGEON 


17 


with the secluded trail leading toward the west 
and traversing a large plain before turning 
over the gently rolling country to the settle¬ 
ment in the valley below. 

As he journeyed, although with senses alert 
for the detection of enemies, he mused about 
how his furlough would be spent; he planned 
for a running contest and another with arrows. 
He thought, “I hope there will be time for a 
game of ball, ,, and then, “Perhaps I will go 
fishing with Nuc,” (My Father). With this 
thought came a feeling of hunger, and he 
hoped that his mother would have a large 
piamang (fish) baking on a little scaffold of 
saplings over the coals. His pace quickened. 

At the edge of the primeval forest bordering 
upon the clear, winding River, stood a group 
of arbor shaped wigwams partially concealed 
by giant trees. Flooded with the brilliant sun¬ 
shine of the late springtime, all was peaceful 
and quiet, for in the warmth of early afternoon 
little activity was to be seen. 

After a while a girlish voice in one of the 
wigwams inquired, “Nannang (My Mother) 
may I take my beadwork and stay with White 
Flower until Father Sun completes his jour¬ 
ney?" 




18 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“Yes, Natanis,” (My Daughter) replied the 
mother in a lower tone, “but come back in time 
to help about the evening meal.” 

Then a slender maiden of fifteen winters, 
carrying a small beaded pouch on her arm, 
stepped through the entrance and leaned over 
in silence to caress the cheek of her little 
sister, sitting outside in the warm sunshine; 
for the child had placed a finger to her lips in 
warning not to waken the little wooden doll 
that she held in her arms. Amused at the make- 
believe play, with a loving smile lighting her 
face Jeetseesh, or “Little Bird/’ was very at¬ 
tractive as she walked gracefully across the 
clearing and disappeared among the wigwams. 

With a well-rounded figure, a skin of velvety 
softness, showing under its dusky beauty a 
glow like the blush of a wild rose, and with her 
dark eyes, tender and gentle, she was one of 
the most beautiful and popular girls of the 
tribe; for added to the modest manners, in 
which she had been trained by her mother, she 
was considerate of others and kind to the girls 
less attractive and fortunate than herself. Al¬ 
most grown, she already had parted her hair 
in the middle, braided it in back and bound it 
over her temples with a beaded band. In a 



TANTAQUIDGEON 


19 


few moons she would put on the bitkas, or long 
dress of the women, reaching nearly to her 
ankles, thus showing that she was of marriage¬ 
able age. 

When she reached the wigwam of her friend, 
White Flower greeted her warmly and the 
girls, engaged with their beadwork, conversed 
eagerly in low tones until the lengthening 
shadows warned them that the Sun was near¬ 
ing his wigwam. 

“Oh! I must go now. Tell me more some 
other time,” remarked Little Bird as she care¬ 
fully pushed the bone awl in the doeskin and 
folded her work in the pouch. 

“Stay a little longer,” pleaded White 
Flower. 

“No, Nannang told me to come home early, 
for Nuc will be hungry after a day of fishing.” 

After a few words of farewell she walked 
rapidly, glancing about enjoying the spring¬ 
time beauty. When nearly home she wandered 
in the fields nearby to gather the early flowers 
which were beginning to appear; when her 
hands were full, she sat down to rest near the 
trail, unconscious of the picture she made, 
with her brown cheeks flushed from the walk, 
her long, black hair braided and held smooth 




20 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


by the picturesque band around her forehead 
and her eyes shining with the joy of youth, as 
she arranged the flowers in her lap. While her 
skillful fingers sorted the sprays of saxifrage, 
from the early violets and columbines, a slight 
smile curved her lips, for, mingled with the 
pleasure given by the flowers, were the happy 
thoughts of the day dreams which she and 
White Flower had confided to each other. 

While no lover had yet appeared, Little 
Bird, like all other maidens, had her ideals of 
what she would wish him to be and had 
listened eagerly to the confidences of her 
friend as White Flower had told of the tender 
whispers of a young brave, who had detained 
her several times for an instant when she went 
to the spring accompanied by her grand¬ 
mother. His brief words had been eloquent as 
there was little opportunity for wooing; for, 
when the braves were about the camp, the 
maidens were allowed to go about only in 
groups or with some older member of the 
family. 

As Little Bird sat busily arranging her 
flowers, the evening calls of birds in the tree 
overhead attracted her attention and glancing 
up she was startled to see a stalwart young 



TANTAQUIDGEON 21 



A Stalwart Young Brave Gazed at Her with Admiration 


brave standing a few paces away and gazing 
at her with unconcealed admiration. He had 
come so noiselessly along the trail,and she had 
been so occupied with her thoughts, that she 
had been totally unconscious of his presence. 
Startled, thinking him an enemy, she was about 
to spring to her feet when she recognized the 
boyhood companion of her older brother 
whom Kiehtan had called to the Happy Hunt¬ 
ing Grounds in the Southwest, from which the 
warm winds blow. Tantaquidgeon then came 




22 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


forward and seated himself at her side saying: 

“Fly not like the little birds.” 

Covered with confusion, she hastily gathered 
her flowers, but, before she could rise he laid 
his hand on her arm saying, “Do not go, little 
friend; stay and listen to the birds.” 

Glancing shyly at him Little Bird queried, 
“But what will my mother say if I linger here 
alone with you and do not my evening tasks?” 

As if to give an opportunity to prolong the 
meeting, a bird in a tree nearby burst into song 
so rapturous that they listened spellbound; not 
speaking, except by the interchange of elo¬ 
quent glances. As soon as the song was fin¬ 
ished, Little Bird gathered up her flowers, say¬ 
ing, “I must not stay longer.” Tantaquidgeon, 
knowing he must not subject her to the em¬ 
barrassment of being seen alone with him, ac¬ 
companied her for only a few paces to speak 
a brief farewell, remarking, “Beautiful was the 
bird’s song, but sweeter to my ears is the voice 
of his namesake.” 

With a slight flush, Little Bird walked 
swiftly toward the wigwam, while young 
Tantaquidgeon turned in another direction. 
Neither one had caught a glimpse of a young 
brave, who had remained concealed a little 



TAN TAQ UIDGEON 


23 


distance away among the trees and had 
watched the interview with scowling face. 

When she entered the wigwam, her mother 
busily preparing the supper glanced at the 
flowers, but knowing her daughter’s love of the 
woods, asked no questions. Filling a wooden 
bowl with water and placing the flowers in it, 
Little Bird began her usual evening tasks, smil¬ 
ing fondly as she glanced at her little sister 
Bles-ul-gwan, or “Pigeon Wing,” who sat in 
front of her low bed, holding her little wooden 
doll in her arms and swaying her body back 
and forth, while she crooned a lullaby: 
“Sleep, little one, sleep, 

Good spirits are watching o’er thee; 
The wind is swaying the tree-tops, 

Sweet shall thy slumbers be; 

Sleep, little dove, sleep; 

Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep.” 

Voices outside were now heard. Occum, re¬ 
turning from a day of fishing at the weirs near 
the ford of the Showtuck, was bidding good¬ 
night to Su-ga-yo A-wau’-sseus, or “Black 
Bear,” his son-in-law; for his eldest daughter, 
Wey-un-goo, or “Bright Moon,” with her hus¬ 
band and little papoose, only four moons old, 
lived in the next wigwam. 



24 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


The entrance mat was swung aside and the 
brave, accompanied by his young sons, 
M’skwonik, or “Red Squirrel,” and Kago Mee- 
gwon, or “Crow Feather,” appeared through 
the low arch. A little past his prime, his long 
black hair had been touched slightly with the 
frosts of past winters; his rugged figure showed 
evidences of warfare and his face was lined 
with the hardships and anxieties endured. 
With a word of greeting to his wife and 
daughters, Occum turned to the right to leave 
his dipnets among his weapons and hunting 
implements. 



It was now time for the evening meal so 
Jeets Bo-dan-sha, or “Bird Flying,” took a 
small portion of the food to throw into the fire 
for a sacrifice, before she unhooked the clay 
kettle from the crotched stick and placed it be- 



TANTAQUIDGEON 


25 


fore her husband and the boys. Little Bird 
brought the wooden spoons and, after Occum 
gave thanks for the food, father and sons 
dipped their spoons again and again into the 
kettle of stewed fish thickened with ground 
chestnuts, and ate hungrily of the meal cakes 
baked in the ashes. 

According to custom men and youths ate 
first, so while waiting for her husband and sons 
to finish, Jeets Bodansha busied herself about 
the wigwam. Little Bird began beading a 
moccasin, a far away expression in her eyes 
and on her lips a dreamy smile as if she still 
heard the song of the bird mingled with the 
lullaby that her little sister was singing softly: 

“The wind is swaying the tree-toys, 

Sleep, little one, sleep.'” 





These scenes of daily life took place in the 
home or permanent camp of the Mohegan 
Indians which was situated on a bluff on the 
western bank of the Massa-pequot-tuck, or 
Great Pequot River. * The clearing where the 
wigwams were pitched was a small, nearly 
level plain protected on two sides by rather 
high hills; on the northwest, rising sharply 
above the camp, was a pointed ridge command¬ 
ing a wide outlook of the country in all di¬ 
rections and with a picturesque view of the 
long line of low-lying ranges in the far distance 
toward the land of the Narragansetts, their 
enemies. 

Here a rude fort had been built by piling 
rocks against the ledges to form a wall and this 
was the most western of the three fortresses 
protecting the settlement. To the west beyond, 
were low ridges and ravines; to the south, be¬ 
yond the cornfields, was rolling country, with 

* (Thames River.) 

26 









THE ENCAMPMENT 


27 


one or two conspicuous hills in the distance, 
not far from the mouth of the river. On the 
east, the beautiful river curved in and out be¬ 
tween the wooded hills so sharply as to appear 
from certain points like a series of small lakes; 
about half way to the mouth, one high point 
sloping close to the edge of the water, made a 
beautiful background. 

All about the clearing were great forests, for 
Little Bird and Tantaquidgeon lived nearly 
three centuries ago, before the Palefaces had 
made their settlements nearer than on the 
banks of the Quinih-ti-tuck, or Long River,f 
such a long distance away that the braves were 
obliged to travel from sunup to sunset to reach 
it. Three small settlements were a little to the 
northwest, at the junctions with the Tunxis and 
the Podunk; and another near the mouth, 
where the Long River flows into the Little Salt 
Sea.$ 

Scattered at irregular intervals among large 
oaks and chestnut trees, which had been left 
to afford some shelter from the noontide heat 
in summer, were the “wigwoms” or lodges. 
These varied in type, some being the wigwam 
of conical shape made by driving ten or more 


f (Connecticut River.) $(Long Island Sound.) 




28 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


poles, from twelve to fifteen feet long, into the 
ground in a circle or oval, with the tops crossed 
about two feet from the ends and tied with 
hickory withes or grape vine. The outside was 
covered with pieces of birch bark laced to¬ 
gether in a semi-circular form, so it could be 
removed and rolled when the brave wished to 
take his family with him on a long hunt. An 
opening was left at the top, for the escape of 
smoke, over the circular stone fireplace in the 
center. 

This was the older style, used when all the 
tribes were driven from place to place by fre¬ 
quent warfare, or they had no settled homes, 
but wandered back and forth between their 
hunting and fishing camps. 

The more permanent homes were made from 
hickory saplings planted upright in the ground, 
in two straight rows, and the tops bent together 
to form an arched roof. Smaller saplings 
placed a foot or two apart horizontally, and 
lashed to every post held the lodge firmly to¬ 
gether. The roof was held in the same way and 
the whole covered with bark, or mats plaited 
from rushes, with a curtain of leather or a rush 
mat hung at the entrance. 

While some of the lodges were only twenty 



The Indian Village 



29 



























30 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


feet square and occupied by one family, others 
were fifty or sixty feet long, with a number of 
families living under one roof, and having four 
or five fires in a line down the center. The stone 
hearths were either round or square. Over 
them the boiling pots of clay or soapstone were 
suspended from a crotched stick by a rope of 
wild hemp, or from a smaller crooked stick 
used as a hook. Curtains of hides or plaited 
mats divided the sides into spaces for each 
family. In the winter extra mats were hung 
inside the outer walls to keep out the cold. 

A third style of lodge belonged to some of 
the middle-aged couples who, accustomed to 
the older type, did not like living in the com¬ 
munal houses, yet wished something larger 
than the conical wigwam. Occum and his 
wife were among these, so Little Bird, Red 
Squirrel, Crow Feather and Pigeon Wing lived 
in an oval wigwam, seventeen and one half 
feet long and twelve feet wide, built like an 
arbor. It was almost dome-shaped and the 
sides were covered with plaited mats. Smaller 
mats were used on the top and, with the edges 
overlapping those on the sides, gave the ap¬ 
pearance of an overhanging roof. 

In the center of the clearing, about a hun- 



THE ENCAMPMENT 


31 


dred feet back from the river, was the strong¬ 
hold of the Chieftain. This was surrounded by 
a palisade, ten or twelve feet high, made of 
trunks of trees planted in the ground and 
sharpened at the top for greater protection. A 
space of five or six feet had been left for an 
entrance with an overlapping portion extend¬ 
ing two or three feet beyond, to conceal the 
opening; at night, or in case of war, these en¬ 
trances were piled with rocks and brush for 
a barricade. A few hundred feet toward the 
north, where a ledge formed a background, a 
fort had been built to provide a vantage point 
in case of attack from the river. 

Within the inclosure was the large wigwam 
of Uncas, the Sachem, with its five fires to ac¬ 
commodate the numerous members of his 
household. Several smaller wigwams belonged 
to his brother and other sagamores; and op¬ 
posite the entrance stood the great Council 
Lodge, where all the important ceremonies 
took place. At the left of the path leading to 
the lodge was a large open space, with a fire¬ 
place in the center, which was used for some 
of the festivities and a few of the ceremonials. 
At the right of the path, in a small grassy circle 
stood a large post about six feet high, rudely 



32 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


carved, with the face painted to represent a 
brave. Outside of this was a narrow path sig¬ 
nifying a trail and here the war dances, which 
were customary before a battle, took place. 

Here in this comfortable village of Shantok, 
situated in beautiful country not far from the 
sea, the Mohegans had lived in comparative 
peace since the end of the great Pequot War, 
five summers before, when that fierce and al¬ 
ways warring nation had been conquered. 
With the death of Sa-ssa-cus, who was the last 
Pequot Sachem, his tribe had become extinct, 
both through losses in the war and by being 
scattered in subjection to other tribes. 

The Mohegans had become one of the lead¬ 
ing tribes, with Uncas, a tall robust man in the 
prime of life and a courageous warrior, as their 
Sachem. 

Not only through conquest had Uncas ac¬ 
quired rights to the land of the Pequots, but 
through his mother he was directly descended 
from the line of their sachems. His claims 
were further strengthened by his marriage 
with a daughter of Sassacus about ten sum¬ 
mers before the war. 

Three or four summers before our story 
opens, he had gained the right to territory west 





THE ENCAMPMENT 


33 


of the Connecticut River by having married, 
for his second wife, a daughter of Se-be-qua- 
nash, the Sachem of the Ham-mo-nas-setts. He 
then deeded some of their land to the Paleface 
colonists, so many of the Hammonassets 
crossed to the east side of the Long River and 
increased the number of his warriors. 

Many of the tribes to the north had become 
tributary to him and with the one hundred 
members of the conquered Pequots, whom the 
magistrates had assigned to him, Uncas had 
become a very powerful chieftain. 

In his early manhood he had rebelled fre¬ 
quently against Sassacus and sought refuge 
among other tribes. The last time he had fled 
to the Podunks, and being friendly with the 
Paleface settlers became their ally. His faith¬ 
fulness to them during the Pequot War had 
gained the favor of the colonists; since the con¬ 
quest he had done everything in his power to 
keep the peace and benefit by the protection 
of the magistrates, who looked to him to re¬ 
port any conspiracies among other tribes. 

The great power and influence of Uncas had 
aroused the jealousy of the sachems of other 
tribes to such an extent that danger was threat¬ 
ening the peace loving Mohegans. Se-quassen, 



34 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Chief of the River Indians had been defeated, 
years before, by the Pequots and, after their 
overthrow, had hoped to regain, not only his 
former prestige, but to become more powerful. 
He therefore hated Uncas with all the bitter¬ 
ness aroused by disappointed ambition. The 
Narragansetts hated him, partly because he 
had been a Pequot and also because he had 
gained control which they wished for them¬ 
selves. Mi-an-to-no-mo constantly carried 
complaints about the Mohegans to the Pale¬ 
face Governor at Shawmut (Boston) but so 
far the treaties not to make war upon each 
other had been observed. 

Naturally, there was jealousy among the con¬ 
quered braves living in his own camp, and en¬ 
emies, lurking within, were trying to take his 
life; for one evening, not many moons before, 
while he was going from one wigwam to an¬ 
other, an arrow had grazed and slightly 
wounded the arm of the Chieftain. This was 
considered an omen of more serious trouble to 
follow. 









Soon after the attempt on the life of Uncas, 
a young Pequot had been found with a large 
quantity of wampum in his possession and, 
after being questioned and giving no satisfac¬ 
tory replies, he had secretly stolen away from 
the camp and placed himself under the pro¬ 
tection of Miantonomo. It was believed that 
he had been bribed by the Narragansetts and 
had shot the arrow which threatened the life 
of the Sachem. Fearing that others might be 
in the conspiracy, the councilors questioned 
his friends, but they claimed no knowledge of 
the affair. 

Among his associates, was Pup-pom-pogs, 
the son of a Pequot sagamore of the same 
name, who had been a brother of Sassacus. 
The young Puppompogs had an arrogant man¬ 
ner, evidently feeling his superiority in being 
the nephew of the former Sachem and also a 
near kinsman of the first wife of Uncas. Both 


35 







36 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


of them had shown unusual kindness to her 
young cousin after his father had met an un¬ 
happy fate, so he presumed upon his connec¬ 
tion with the family of the ruling Chieftain. As 
several of the young braves had been in the 
habit of spending their evenings around the 
campfire of his wigwam, there was some sus¬ 
picion that he might have been concerned in 
the conspiracy and uncertainty was expressed 
as to his loyalty. 

As the councilors queried among them¬ 
selves, one said, “He has no reason to conspire 
against the Chieftain, who has befriended him 
and our Sunjum has two sons to succeed him.” 

“He may hope,” continued another, “to rule 
until the little O-we-ne-co is old enough.” 

“He knows that Wa-wee-quaw would be 
the next in succession,” declared another. As 
secret questioning of his followers failed to 
implicate him, all doubts of his loyalty had 
been dismissed. 

Although his haughty manner made him un¬ 
popular among the older men, among the 
young braves he was a hero; though thirty win¬ 
ters old, he was in the prime of vigor and en¬ 
durance, and when bearer of important mes¬ 
sages, could endure great distances without 



SUSPICION AND JEALOUSY 


37 





fatigue. An expert marksman, it was rarely 
that anyone equalled his skill in the contest 
with arrows; in the races he had an opponent 
in Tantaquidgeon, a handsome youth of 
twenty summers, who tall, slender and of 
lighter weight, was rather better fitted for 
short contests, although with less endurance 
for long runs. While Puppompogs was a 
strong swimmer, for swimming was a neces¬ 
sary accomplishment of every brave, the latter 



38 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


part of the name of his opponent indicated an 
exceptional ability in the water, as he was also 
known as Tawa-quidgeon, or the “expert 
swimmer.” 

A slight jealousy arose in the heart of Pup- 
pompogs when his youthful opponent won in a 
short running contest and he muttered to him¬ 
self, “Is it not enough to swim like a fish? 
Must he also run like a deer? Does he expect 
to be first in everything?” forgetting for an in¬ 
stant that he himself, had outshot all com¬ 
petitors in a contest only a few suns before and 
had no reason for feeling chagrin. 

Although still young, Puppompogs was 
somewhat bitter, for Miantonomo had re¬ 
ported to the magistrates at Suckiaug (Hart¬ 
ford) that several of the remaining Pequot 
sagamores had been guilty of the shedding of 
English blood. Among them, the name of his 
father was mentioned and, as Uncas was or¬ 
dered to execute them, the elder Puppompogs 
perished in disgrace. 

Before the son had recovered from this 
tragedy, he suffered a greater sorrow for, dur¬ 
ing the second moon of the last Great White¬ 
ness, his young wife had died and he had laid 
her away, with their tiny baby clasped in her 




SUSPICION AND JEALOUSY 


39 


arms, under the white mantle that covered the 
earth. His wigwam was lonely with only his 
feeble, sad, old mother to tend his hearth fire. 
The coming of the springtime, when the 
brooks, released from the icy grasp of Old Man 
Winter, rushed rippling over the stones in mus¬ 
ical cadences, failed to melt the ice from his 
heart. Even with the blossoming of the first 
flowers, he had thought of no maiden whom 
he wished to ask to sit on a mat beside him; so 
his only solace was in the triumphs of his skill 
and defeat only added to his bitterness. 

Life had brought no real sorrow or disap¬ 
pointments to the much younger Tantaquid- 
geon who, with his eagle feathers yet to win, 
looked upon each contest as training in 
strength and endurance for the real tests of his 
future as a warrior. Unconscious of the jeal¬ 
ousy of his opponent, he felt only pleasure at 
the outcome of the race and would have been 
greatly surprised had he known of the scowl¬ 
ing looks with which Puppompogs, sheltered 
by the trees, had ofttimes watched him. 

Following the attack upon the Sachem, there 
was more than the usual apprehension of a 
surprise from some enemy; so a larger number 
of braves gathered round the council fire to 



40 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


smoke the pipe of loyalty before their depar¬ 
ture as scouts, for the trails were guarded more 
carefully than ever. There was no opportunity 
for further contests and fortunately Puppom- 
pogs was sent with a band who were guarding 
in the forests toward the sunsetward of the 
camp, while Tantaquidgeon had been assigned 
for duty with a group of scouts at the strong¬ 
hold of Waweequaw, at the head of the Great 
River, and from there went out to guard the 
ford of the Showtuck. 

With the ceremonial fast before taking the 
solemn vows for duty and the immediate sepa¬ 
ration of the contestants afterward, any open 
enmity on the part of the older brave was pre¬ 
vented for a time. 






Driving the Fish 


IV. 



During the Moon of the Corn Planting many 
varieties of fish came up from the Great Salt 
Sea,* beyond Manissesf and Sewen HackeyJ 
to spawn in the rivers. Very early one morning, 
soon after the Sun had parted the curtains of 
darkness, most of the men, who were not too 
old to wield the paddle, were astir and began 
to fill their canoes with their baskets and fibre 
woven nets. 

Occum decided to take both boys with him, 
so he walked across the wigwam to their low 
beds and grasping both Red Squirrel and Crow 
Feather by the shoulder, gave each a little 
shake, saying, “Namakkis, (My Son) the day 
is born and sleeptime is over, Wake up!” 

As they did not move, he- added in a louder 
tone , “G’tu mkish! Ne gita wi piama’g cha.” 
(Get up! Iam going to fish.) 

At the word piama’g (fish) the boys were 
awake, threw aside the fur bed coverings and 

* (Atlantic Ocean.) f (Block Island.) t(Long Island— 
“Place of Shells.”) 


41 










42 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


sprang up. Dashing for the River they plunged 
in, and quickly returned. Thrusting their feet 
into their moccasins, throwing the skin mantles 
over their shoulders, then with a few hasty 



Porcupine Brush 

strokes of the porcupine brush on the tangled 
hair, their dressing was soon completed. 

With a hasty greeting to his mother, who 
was bending over the fire and stirring corn 
porridge in a large kettle, Crow Feather rushed 
past her to the other side, where his father was 
sorting the articles used for fishing. Pointing 
to three small dip nets, woven of fibre made 
from wild hemp, and hung on long poles, Oc- 
cum remarked: 

“Namakkis, take those nets and follow me.” 
Turning to Red Squirrel, who had spent a 
little more time brushing his hair, he directed 
him saying: 

“Help carry one end of these mats.” 

Several trips were made from the wigwam 
before all the necessary baskets and rolls of 






DRIVING THE FISH 


43 


mats, woven from withes, were loaded into the 
dugout. 

Then they hurried back for breakfast and, 
as they squatted around the hearth fire, Jeets 
Bodansha unhooked the great soapstone kettle 
and placed it before them. Occum gave thanks 
and without further ceremony each plunged 
his wooden spoon into the porridge of corn 
meal mixed with bits of dried venison. The 
hearty meal finished, Occum again gave 
thanks; then he asked Jeets Bodansha to carry 
a basket of yokeg to the canoe; and adding, 
“If the fish drive well, we may stay at the fish¬ 
ing camp for two or three sleeps.” 

As they started his father said, “Son, tell 
your brother-in-law that we are ready.” Red 
Squirrel ran to the wigwam of his sister, Wey- 
un-goo, or “Bright Moon,” but finding-it empty, 
hurried on toward the River. 

Some of the dugouts had already started out 
but Weyungoo’s husband, Sugayo Awausseus 
or “Black Bear,” was waiting in his own boat 
to accompany theirs; Occum told Crow 
Feather to sit in the middle, while he and Red 
Squirrel sat at the ends to paddle. 

The Sun was beginning to part the cloud cur¬ 
tains of his wigwam, as the paddles dipped and 




44 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the canoes glided through the rose and golden 
tinted waters of the Great River. It was not 
long before they reached the mouth of the 
Showtuck and turned under the shadows of 
the high hill, to glide again into the bright sun¬ 
light as they reached the junction with the 
Quinebaug, where the shad had come to 
spawn. 

Here the dugouts were halted; then the 
braves assisted each other in unrolling the 
brushwood mats and weaving them together 
until the lines were long enough to extend 
across the river when fastened to upright poles 
driven into the river bed. 

On the previous day Occum and Black Bear, 
with others of the fishing party, had driven 
stakes in groups, and surrounded them with 
the wattled mats. Now, while some of the 
braves left their canoes to attend to the finish¬ 
ing of the great weir, others began forcing the 
fish toward the pens. 

Although he had been out when they were 
fishing with lines, Crow Feather was having 
his first lesson in “driving the fish,” and 
watched eagerly as his father and Black Bear, 
grasping bushes, plunged them into the water, 
while Red Squirrel slowly paddled. As the 





DRIVING THE FISH 


45 



On the Way to the Quinebaug River 


canoes slowly approached the enclosures the 
water became tumultous with the leaping of 
the great number of fish forced into the con¬ 
fining-space. 

As they neared the shallows Occum shouted, 
“Boys take your dip nets and stand ready.” 
Soon Black Bear and Red Squirrel jumped into 
the water and began tossing the fish from the 
nets into their canoes. As the number less¬ 
ened, many of the braves threw their nets into 
the boats and caught the fish by hand. 





46 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Crow Feather dived into the shallow water, 
and swam a few strokes until he could stand, to 
try his skill at taking fish. Several eluded him 
but finally success came; holding a shining 
beauty clasped tightly in his arms, he proudly 
called to his father and brother, “Namu!” 
(See!) and waded nearer the boat. As he was 
about to toss the heavy fish into the canoe he 
lost his balance and down he went, head first, 
into the water, striking his face against a 
rock. Black Bear waded over and pulled him 
up, with face bleeding and empty handed! 
When he cried out, “Ne wisogwon!” (I hurt 
myself!), Red Squirrel began to laugh. 

He was quickly silenced by his father, who 
remarked, “To laugh at the misfortune of an¬ 
other, is as unworthy of a future brave as for 
your brother to whine over his bad luck.” 

Crow Feather hid the faint quiver of his lips 
as he bent over to wash the blood from his face, 
while Red Squirrel, heeding his father’s re¬ 
proof, said kindly, “Nekanis, ni siwa turn.” 
(My Brother, I am sorry.) 

When the canoes were filled, several of the 
braves decided, as the scouts were guarding 
the fords near by, to risk a possible surprise 
from the enemy and remain at the fishing camp 












48 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


during one or two sleeps. Occum thought it 
wiser to return with his boys and, as they 
paddled homeward, he explained to them how 
an opening was left in the long weir, through 
which a part of the fish could swim up the 
stream for spawning, and then back again to 
the sea. A sufficient number for the use of the 
tribe would be stopped by the mats obstructing 
the sides of the river. Then he added, “Re¬ 
member! For the sake of your children and 
their children, care must be taken with all 
kinds of fish, or game, not to deplete the 
supply.’' 

It had been a long, exciting day and Father 
Sun had already closed the curtains of his wig¬ 
wam. By this time little Crow Feather was 
sound asleep in the bottom of the canoe, and 
when they landed, the tall stalwart Black Bear, 
lifting him to his shoulder, carried the drowsy 
boy through the deepening twilight to the wig¬ 
wam. 









rz 

V. J 



Moon of the Corn Planting 


1_^ 

CH ---- -- 



Early in the spring soon after the first peal 
of thunder, which signified the awakening of 
life-giving forces after the sleep of winter, the 
Thunder ceremonies and dance had taken 
place, to invoke the spirits and guard against 
drought. The god of Thunder had heard their 
first appeal to remember the fields with a suffi¬ 
cient amount of moisture, so the ground was 
well soaked by the heavy spring rains during 
the following moon, and a second dance had 
not been necessary. 

Jeets Bodansha had been elected chief ma¬ 
tron for that season, to direct the planting of 
the communal fields and to have charge of the 
cultivation and harvesting; for, although ap¬ 
prehension was felt, the daily routine of liv¬ 
ing went on as usual. 

Now the time appointed for the ceremony of 
the Corn Planting had arrived, so very early 
in the morning after the braves had gone out¬ 
side, the women and children ate their break- 


49 





50 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 



Clam Shell Shovel 


fast and hurriedly finished their simple house¬ 
keeping. After helping their mother scour the 
clay pots with rushes and put the wigwam in 
order, Little Bird and Pigeon Wing went with 
her to join the group, gathered in the cere¬ 
monial space to observe the ritual of the first 
planting that season. 

Each woman carried a little shovel made by 
fastening a large clam shell to the end of a 
stick, and wore a pouch containing the seed 
corn that had been soaked in its “medicine” 
made from the roots of helebore, or similar 
plant. 

Following the ritual chant and dance, in 
which the growing of the wiwat-caman (corn) 
and its gift to preserve the life of the people 
were expressed, the Shaman implored the Cre¬ 
ator to continue the growth of the corn and 
gave thanks for past blessings. He then gave 
to each family, four red kernels to mix with the 
corn “to give life to the seed” and make it yield 
an abundant harvest. 

The women, led by Jeets Bodansha, 




MOON OF THE CORN PLANTING 51 


marched around three times, chanting their 
thanks to Mother Earth. Still chanting, the 
procession separated into several lines and 
moved in various directions toward the corn¬ 
fields. Meanwhile the warriors,_ who were 
joining in the ceremonies—showing by their 
postures and gestures that they must protect 
the workers—had taken their positions at the 
outskirts of the clearing to be a real protection 
from any lurking foes. 

As the corn was held in reverence as a gift 
from the Creator, before general planting 
could begin, the ceremonial must be observed 
of planting the seven sacred hills to be kept 
separate as an offering at the harvest feast; 
while the others chanted the ritual song, and 
took part in the dance representing each mo¬ 
tion of planting, the seven women who had 
been chosen, prepared and planted the sacri¬ 
ficial hills in unison to the rhythm of: 

“Oh Mother Earth, guard these kernels so 
fair 

As in thy bosom we drop them with care, 

With footprints we cover them out of our 
sight 

Until Father Sun brings green leaves to 
light.” 




52 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Special emphasis was placed upon the foot¬ 
prints, as they were the symbol by which the 
planter identified her hills and of the work ac¬ 
complished. 

Then all set to work planting the communal 
fields; busily making the hills, digging the 
small holes and carefully planting the kernels, 
so as not to break the germs which had nearly 
burst through. In every seventh hill the seeds 
of the squash or beans, were planted. The work 
was accompanied by singing and laughter, 
for gaiety enlivened the general planting. The 
communal fields covered a large area as they 
were for the benefit of the Sachem, who had 
many visitors and custom demanded that food 
must be placed before every guest no matter 
how brief his stay. Corn from these fields was 
furnished also to those who through sickness or 
old age were unable to plant for themselves. 

While the young girls were not expected to 
work hard, after they were seven winters old 
they were taught how things should be done. 
Wishing to know how much Little Bird remem¬ 
bered from the last season, Jeets Bodansha 
turned to her and said: 

“Natanis, tell your little sister when the corn 
must be planted.” 



MOON OF THE CORN PLANTING 


“As soon as the earth has dried after the 
spring rains,” began Little Bird, “and the blos¬ 
soms of the shad-bush flutter in the breeze, and 
the trees show the pale green of coming leaves, 
the ground must be dug with the crooked sticks 
and shell shovels, to break up the hard surface 
and prepare it for planting. The fields must be 
ready when the Moon of the Corn Planting 
hangs her crescent in the sky, for corn must be 
planted, ‘when the leaf of the dog-wood is the 
size of a squirrel's ear/ and The first leaves on 
the oak are as large as his foot/ It also must 
be planted with the growing moon/ ” 

“Why wouldn't it grow better if planted 
when the moon was big and round?” queried 
Pigeon Wing. 

As her sister did not seem to know the an¬ 
swer, the mother explained, “If the corn is not 
planted until the moon grows large, it does not 
have a chance to sprout until the waning moon 
is ready to draw the mantle of darkness 
around her; and it is said that young corn will 
not grow in the dark.” 

By this time the mother and daughter had 
dug a row of small holes about a pace apart, so 
Little Bird took the birch bark basket filled 
with munna-whatte-aug— (menhaden) and 




54 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


showed her how a munnawhat—(menhaden) 
—must be placed in each hole, to make the 
wiwat-caman grow and have the kernels large 
and sweet. 

The mother followed, burying each fish with 
a light sprinkling of earth; then Little Bird 
handed a small basket to Pigeon Wing and 
showed her how to count four grains of com 
and place them in each hole, telling her, “Take 
care that they do not touch one another.” 

When the Sun had made about one-half his 
journey on the sky trail and was nearly over¬ 
head, Jeets Bodansha sent the girls to sit in 
the shade of a great pine tree where Bright 
Moon had left her little papoose in his cradle 
board, which was standing upright against the 
tree trunk. Little Bird unlaced the buckskin 
wrappings and lifted him to her lap; then un¬ 
wrapping his doeskin blanket, laid him on the 
soft pine needles that covered the ground. 
There he lay, kicking his little feet and lifting 
them high in the air; cooing and reaching out 
his tiny hands as he saw Wickwu-skessu (a 
robin) hopping about on the limb overhead. 

Several young girls came to join them, 
among others White Flower and also little Ani- 
tassis, or “Humming Bird,” who was the spe- 




MOON OF THE CORN PLANTING 



Bright Moon’s Papoose in His Cradee Board 


cial friend and playmate of Pigeon Wing. Al¬ 
though Humming Bird was a few moons older 
(as she would reach her eighth summer in the 
Moon of the Strawberries) she appeared 
younger. She was a sprightly little girl and 
darted about as swiftly as the little birds for 
whom she was named, and found it very hard 
to observe the decorous manners that were 
considered proper, as she was the daughter of 
Waweequaw and own niece to the Sachem. 

While the little girls played with the baby, 
the older girls admired the decorations on the 
cradle board. There were many exclamations 
of, “How pretty!” for Bright Moon had em¬ 
broidered the buckskin bands with quill work 





56 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


of red, white and black, in intricate patterns 
representing women, stars and flowers. On the 
bow protecting his head, were hung strings of 
wampum, and ornaments of bone and shells to 
tinkle for his amusement, when they were 
stirred by the breezes. His father had fash¬ 
ioned the backboard with great care, and with 
other decorations on the top and footrest, had 
carved a wolf and bear, the symbols of his tribe 
and clan. 

One by one, the girls had joined their 
mothers or other friends, until Little Bird was 
left alone with her friend. Then White Flower 
told of an incident at the spring that morning. 
As no one had appeared while they were filling 
their birch bark pails, her mother, intent upon 
finishing her housekeeping in time for the cere¬ 
monial, had hurried ahead; forgetting, per¬ 
haps, that her daughter’s admirer had not 
gone with the other scouts, but had been re¬ 
served for relief duty. 

White Flower was following a little distance 
behind, when the youth stepped from back of 
a tree and had drawn her in the shadow of its 
protecting trunk; with his mantle grasped in 
his hands, he had thrown his arms about her 
shoulders, so both were wrapped closely in its 




MOON OF THE CORN PLANTING 


57 



Little Bird 


folds for an instant, while he murmured a 
phrase of endearment. 

As declarations of love were frowned upon 
until a young brave was ready to carry presents 
to a maiden and her father, to arrange a mar¬ 
riage, she had protested; but he had pleaded 
the excuse of being sent, without much warn¬ 
ing, for scout duty, to remain away for an in¬ 
definite time. 

The blushes of White Flower as she related 
the tender episode, found a reflection in the 
cheeks of Little Bird, as she thought of another 
scout guarding the far away fords. Too shy to 
mention it, she smiled happily as she thought 
of the few moments on the trail, when she and 
Tantaquidgeon had listened to the birds. 




Red Squirrel, born in the Moon of the Sing¬ 
ing Frogs, had now passed his fifteenth winter. 
When he spoke, the voice of a man was heard 
in his throat, so boyhood was over. Shortly 
before one sleeptime, when they were alone in 
the wigwam, Occum called his boy to him and 
remarked solemnly: 

“Namakkis (My Son) you have come to the 
age of understanding. Before many more suns 
pass, you must go out alone, fasting, to seek for 
your Mystery. Here is a large new bow and 
some arrows. Remember, no matter how hun¬ 
gry you are, you must not use them for obtain¬ 
ing food.” 

Silently, the youth received the weapons for 
the test of his endurance, and concealed them 
in the space reserved for his belongings; then 
wishing perhaps to hide the apprehension he 
felt for the lonely ordeal which he must under¬ 
go, he went outside and disappeared among the 
trees, delaying his return until too late to have 
any conversation with the family. 


58 










SEEKING HIS MYSTERY 


59 


Red Squirrel wakened early and quietly 
rose; brushing his hair and adjusting the skin 
mantle, his leggins and moccasins, he was 
ready; he drew forth the bow and arrows from 
their hiding place and lifted the rush mat at 
the entrance, as the first dawning light in the 
east showed that Father Sun had commenced 
to part the curtains of his wigwam. 

Occum, wakened by the faint rustle, opened 
his eyes to see his son disappear through the 
opening, but he made no sign, for when mak¬ 
ing a fast, a youth must go unobserved; if met 
by chance, could not be spoken to, or given any 
directions as to where he might find the ob ject 
through which he would receive the mysterious 
power that would put him in touch with the 
universe and control his future life. 

Swiftly he walked toward the forest. If any 
other early riser saw him as he passed the out¬ 
lying wigwams, no one accosted him. On he 
wandered, penetrating deeper into the forest 
and thinking of his future; hoping for long 
life; good health; success in hunting; for hon¬ 
ors in war; for escape from injury in battle. 
At intervals he chanted a prayer for help, but 
not daring to ask for any special favor. 

Meantime the camp was astir. Finding that 




60 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


his brother had gone out, Crow Feather went 
outside to look for him. When he did not re¬ 
turn in time for the morning meal, the young 
boy inquired, “Nannang (My Mother), where 
is my brother?” 

“Perhaps he has gone out to hunt for squir¬ 
rels with some of the boys, or he may have 
gone to see the Shaman,” she replied. 

“He always waits until after we eat.” 

Occum, hoping that no harm would come to 
his boy in the lonely vigil, remained silent, 
giving no sign that he knew the reason for 
his absence. 

While the Sun was making his journey on the 
sky trail, all were busy with their tasks, and 
the children with their play. Even at the eve¬ 
ning meal the absence of Red Squirrel was not 
particularly remarked, but when sleeptime 
came, Pigeon Wing remarked, “Why doesn’t 
my brother come home?” 

“He may be hurt,” added Little Bird with 
an anxious expression. 

As Occum had expressed no displeasure at 
the continued absence, Jeets Bodansha sus¬ 
pected that her older son had gone to seek the 
vision for his protection—the Mystery which 
would give him strength in time of danger. 



SEEKING HIS MYSTERY 


61 


While neither expressed their thoughts both 
parents lay down on their skin beds with 
heavy hearts, as in thought they followed their 
son through the dense forest, with dangers 
from wild beasts lurking on every side and 
with the evil powers of darkness to frighten 
him. 

Red Squirrel had roamed on and on, ab¬ 
sorbed in his thoughts. At times he turned 
aside, climbing the high ledges to obtain a 
more distant view, for his vision might be a 
feather, falling from the wing of a bird in its 
flight. He often kept his gaze to the ground 
where the early summer flowers covered the 
earth with a soft mat; or his penetrating glance 
sought for tiny creatures which might be hid¬ 
den under the tender foliage of young shrubs. 
As an occasional snake wriggled across his 
path, he hoped that a serpent would not be 
seen in his vision, for it was an evil omen, 
and, at best, would mean a life filled with 
misfortune. 

While he wandered, Father Sun climbed 
higher and higher and then began his west¬ 
ward journey toward his wigwam. As the 
shadows lengthened, a rabbit scurried by and 
Red Squirrel, craving for food, raised his bow 





62 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


and bent it, preparing to speed an arrow. He 
realized the temptation and jerked away his 
right hand. 

The birds came homing back to their nest; 
for a time his hunger was forgotten as he 
listened to their evening songs and sleepy 
twittering as they settled down brooding the 
precious eggs beneath them. 

Twilight came. Oppressed by loneliness, 
strange shadows seemed to lurk behind the 
bushes. With every nerve strained, he crept 
with bow drawn, alert for combat with wild 
beasts or treacherous foes. He remembered 
the tales that he had heard related at the hearth 
fire during the long winters. He feared meet¬ 
ing the Makia Wisag, or “Little People,” who 
would point their fingers at him, so he would 
be unable to see them as they went about their 
pranks. 

Darkness fell. He feared the Jibai, or 
“ghosts,” who appeared at night making 
frightful, unusual noises, while they helped 
their friends on earth or inflicted punishment 
on their enemies. He feared the dreadful, evil 
spirits, all the supernatural powers of darkness. 
His noiseless steps sounded loud to his strained 
hearing. Exhausted by fright and weariness, 




SEEKING HIS MYSTERY 


63 


he sank under the shelter of some bushes. Soon 
came merciful sleep. 

When Red Squirrel did not appear after 
Father Sun had made a second journey, Crow 
Feather, trying to conceal his quavering voice 
remarked, “My brother left his bow and ar¬ 
rows and perhaps a bear has killed him.” 

The boy looked so troubled that his father 
decided to allay his fears: “Namakkis,” 
he began, “ your brother has a new bow 
with sharp arrows. He has taken them with 
him.” 

“Where has he gone?” 

“I do not know, because he is seeking his 
Mystery. You will seek for yours, when you 
are older.” 

“When is he coming home?” 

“Not until after two more sleeptimes. You 
must not ask him where he has been or what he 
has seen. You must not speak to him about his 
absence.” 

“Why not, Nuc?” 

“Because his fast is sacred. Ask no more 
questions, Namakkis.” 

While the Sun made another journey, Red 
Squirrel wandered in the forest, wrapped in 
thought; unmindful of the songs of birds, the 




64 _ THE UNKNOWN INDIAN^ 

chattering of the squirrels, or of the creeping 
things as they slid away frightened by his step. 
Occasionally, aroused by a sharp rattle, he 
sprang aside as he spied a snake in his path, 
coiled ready to strike. To overcome his fears of 
the terrors surrounding him, he chanted the 
usual prayer for help; when darkness came he 
sank down, faint from fasting and overcome 
by fatigue. Holding his bow closely, to be in 
readiness if awakened by the approach of any 
lurking foes, he fell asleep. Looking for food, 
the little four-footed animals sniffed at his 
moccasins, but, scenting possible danger, scur¬ 
ried away; after the curtains of night had been 
drawn aside, a doe with two fawns stopped 
near him to feed. 

When he, at last, awoke, the Sun was round 
above his head. Feeling faint and light¬ 
headed as he rose, he wandered slowly and 
finally turned back toward the east, thinking if 
he journeyed farther he would be unable to 
reach home after another sleeptime of fasting. 
Attracted by the ripple of water flowing over a 
stony bed, he turned aside to quench his thirst 
and bathe his aching head at a small brook. 
Too weak to journey longer, he lay down on a 
mossy bank to rest and, lulled by the murmur, 





SEEKING HIS MYSTERY 


65 



A Black Bear, Hunting for Prey, Sniffed at Him 


sank into a quiet so profound that he seemed 
scarcely to breathe. A black bear, hunting foi 
prey, sniffed at him. But he lay so utterly re¬ 
laxed with outstretched arms, unconscious of 
her muzzle nosing about him, that the old bear, 
believing him dead, strolled leisurely away. 

There he lay; while the shadows length¬ 
ened ; while the cloud wigwams above the tree- 
tops grew rosy, as the Sun drew his curtains 
more closely; while the shadows deepened into 
darkness; while the stars gleamed, as they 
journeyed along their dusky trail. 

Sometimes he sighed, as if troubled, but 
what dreams of ill omen, or visions of future 
good, passed his mental vision were secrets 
never to be divulged. 

In the trance-like quiet he lay, until the sun¬ 
beams, filtering through the dense foliage, 
lighted the closed lids. They opened wide; m 
his eyes an expression of awe and wonderment, 




66 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


aroused by the dream vision. He half raised 
and supported himself by his right elbow sunk 
into the moss. Turning his face, he placed his 
left hand to his ear as if to hear a faint, far¬ 
away call. He listened spellbound. Then, as if 
to fix it firmly in his memory, he repeated the 
cadence in low, musical tones. A look of rap¬ 
ture overspread his face. He had found his 
Mystery! 

He rose slowly and turned toward the brook. 
Renewing his strength with a long draught of 
the clear, cool water, he waited awhile for the 
giddiness to pass away before starting on his 
return. Although upheld by his vision, he 
walked but slowly. By the time he had reached 
the wigwam, Jeets Bodansha was preparing 
the evening meal and an appetizing aroma 
arose from the clay kettle suspended over the 
fire. 

Red Squirrel, exhausted from the long fast, 
without speaking, sank down by the hearth to 
warm himself. His mother, taking a small 
ladle dipped it into the pot and passed him 
some of the hot broth, made from jerked ven¬ 
ison and thickened with ground chestnuts. He 
ate a few mouthfuls and, too weary to keep 
awake, went to his rude bed, covering himself 




SEEKING HIS MYSTERY 


67 


with the warm pelts. When the others came in, 
he was sleeping soundly. 

As Occum and his sons sat about the hearth 
for the morning meal, no mention of his ab¬ 
sence was made; neither did his father make 
any suggestions about taking him for fishing, 
for custom ruled his habits at this time. 

For the duration of four sleeps, Red Squirrel 
remained at home, resting quietly, lost in con¬ 
templation, saying little and eating lightly. At 
the fourth Sun-up, taking his bow and arrows 
and a small quantity of yokeg, or parched 
corn, in his pouch, he set out on his quest for 
the living embodiment of that which he had 
seen in his vision. Had he mentioned the ob¬ 
ject of his search, he would have forfeited his 
right to it. 

His mother watched the preparation for his 
departure with a heavy heart, not knowing 
how far his quest would take him, or for how 
long a time. If it were for one of the more 
common animals, his journey would be brief; 
but if he sought a feather from the wing of a 
bird not returned from its flight from the south, 
or if a plant, that had not forced its tender buds 
into bloom, a few sleeptimes might lengthen 
into moons before her loved son could return. 






68 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Whatever it might be, he must search until 
it was found. If living, it must be slain; then 
the whole or part of it, preserved and wrapped 
in a small skin, must be kept throughout his 
whole life, as a secret symbol of the power 
which united him with the universe. Never to 
be mentioned lightly, worn only upon cere¬ 
monial occasions, or as protection when going 
into battle. In times of danger, a warrior might 
wear the symbol painted on his body, or for a 
decoration on his mantle, during a ceremonial. 

In mute farewell, Jeets Bodansha stood 
watching Red Squirrel, as with alert and 
springing step, he started on his quest with 
eager hopes. 





During the absence of the warriors the gen¬ 
eral planting had been completed. Then each 
woman prepared the plots near her wigwam 
for the use of her own family. On the day of 
the planting, although there were no elaborate 
ceremonials, it was customary for all the fam¬ 
ily to be present. Before she ventured to bury 
the precious seeds, she went to the middle of 
her plot and offered a brief prayer, saying: 

“Great Spirit, behold me and my children; 
Father Sun, shine with warmth; may the Thun¬ 
der God send gentle rains; may the South 
Wind blow softly; Mother Earth, be gracious 
and grant an abundant harvest, that my chil¬ 
dren may have food.” 

The children assisted in the work; in every 
few hills, squash seeds were planted with the 
corn and in others, beans were placed so the 
vines could twine their tendrils about the corn 
stalk S 

After a few sleeps came the season for the 
ritual to be observed when the corn had sprung 


69 









70 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


up; then the women, and all the men who were 
not engaged in the daily fishing, gathered in 
the square for the preliminary dance and chant 
of the Call from the Corn Fields. 

The words and postures represented the 
faint calls of the sprouting corn as it neared 
the light. When the feeble shoots broke 
through the earth and “entered into life,” the 
call became so clear that, as the dance ended, 
the braves went to the outer edges of the fields 
to act as guards. The older men joined the 
groups of women, still singing the refrain, as 
led by Jeets Bodansha, they moved in the di¬ 
rection of the planted grounds. 

When they reached the place, each woman 
looked for her own footprints on the hills, as 
they passed between the rows; when the first 
little green shoots were seen, in unison they 
began the chant that represented the corn as 
speaking : 

“We, the little green leaves 
Up from the earth's dark night 
Have pushed our feeble way 
Into the morning light. 

The light, the light, 

Light, light, 

The morning light. 



CALL FROM THE CORN FIELDS 


71 


Soon to grow tall and strong 
And rustle in the breeze; 

Soon to wear a tassled plume 
Among the waving leaves. 

The leaves, the leaves, 

The leaves, 

The waving leaves.” 

During the postures which symbolized the 
growing and waving of the corn, all the rows 
had been inspected; as indications were seen 
that every hill was showing signs of life, the 
groups turned in the direction of the lodges, 
chanting a little song of rejoicing as they went 
home: 

“Happy are we who planted 
Our labor has not been vain, 

For great will be the harvest 
If the clouds bring gentle rain. 

Happy are we, 

We, we, we, 

Happy are we, 

Are we, 

Are we!” 

The chant ended as the ceremonial space was 
reached, the groups separated and each family 
returned to their wigwam. 

As the Sun had not completed half of his 




72 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


journey across the sky trail, Jeets Bodansha 
decided to spend the rest of the time in caring 
for her wigwam, as it was nearly time for one 
of the great feasts of the summer, when many 
visitors would come to the village. 

First of all, she called Little Bird and Pigeon 
Wing, telling them, “Natanis, take the rush 
mats from in front of your beds and spread 
them in the hot sunshine; then hang your doe¬ 
skin bed covers on the bushes; when that is 
done, my little dove may take her doll papoose 
and go play with Anitassis, while sister helps 
me.” 

Then the mother and daughter took the rest 
of the skins and rush mats, which were used 
for seats, from the earthen floor and spread 
them on the grass outside. 

There was no furniture except the low beds, 
made by driving four crotched sticks into the 
ground, to hold the poles forming the frame¬ 
work, over which was fastened the woven cov¬ 
ering of reeds or willows. On this, skins were 
laid for the bed and, according to the season, 
fur robes or thin, undressed skins were used for 
coverings. 

Near each bed stood the boxes of birch bark 
or plaited rushes to hold the clothing and per- 



CALL FROM THE CORN FIELDS 


73 


sonal belongings; the smaller boxes, decorated 
with beads were used for strings of wampum, 
belts, armlets or the bone ornaments. Hang¬ 
ing on the frame work of the wigwam, by a 
thong tied to the wooden handle, were the 
hair brushes made from porcupines’ tails. 

Although there were no real divisions in the 
oval wigwam, to each person was assigned 
some space into which no one else was ex¬ 
pected to intrude. A small, unoccupied place 
was left at each side of the entrance, and the 
first division beyond, at the right, where he 
could guard his family, belonged to the father. 
Here he kept, not only his ornaments, his man¬ 
tles, leggins and moccasins, but also his 
weapons of warfare and of the chase. 

The next division belonged to the mother 
for her personal possessions and beyond, where 
they could be guarded carefully from all harm, 
were the sleeping quarters of the girls. When 
guests were present, the part opposite the en¬ 
trance and back of the hearth, was assigned to 
them, being considered the place of honor be¬ 
cause farthest from danger. 

At the left were the bunks for Red Squirrel 
and Crow Feather and in the space nearest the 
left of the entrance, were packed the cooking 



74 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


pots of soapstone and clay, the boxes of bark 
and rushes containing the corn, the dried ber¬ 
ries, the roots and herbs for medicines, the bas¬ 
kets, birch bark water pails and whatever was 
necessary for the routine of housekeeping was 
kept here. In a conspicuous place stood the 
large mortar for grinding the corn; this had 
been carved by Occum in the early days of 
their home; with it were the wooden bowls 
and spoons. 

When all the mats and skins had been car¬ 
ried outside, Jeets Bodansha said, “Natanis 
(My Daughter), I will help you move your 
large case, then you must brush your part of 
the floor and put all of your clothing in order.” 

Then the mother moved the rest of the bark 
packing cases and brushed the earth floor un¬ 
der each low bed with a broom made of birch 
twigs; meanwhile, she glanced at Little Bird, 
who seemed to be working half-heartedly. 

Finally she remarked, “Natanis, you are al¬ 
most a woman and it will not be many moons 
before some lover may come wooing. Would 
any brave wish a wife who folded his mantle 
so carelessly, or left dust, or bones carried 
there by the dogs, under the dark corner of 
his bed?” 



The Oval Wigwam 

75 



























76 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Following her mother’s reproof, Little Bird 
carefully refolded her garments, arranged her 
armlets and other trinkets in the birch bark 
cases that she had beaded. When the neglected 
floor had been finished, she went to the space 
used for the cooking utensils and helped her 
mother move the large dakwang (mortar) 
that her father had carved from a pepperidge 
knot. It stood nearly as high as her knees and 
the outside, a little below the center, had been 
tapered inward in sections; thus shaping the 
lower part of the bowl, forming a base and con¬ 
necting them with straight handles. Around 
the top of the base were carved radiating lines 
of irregular length, a design possibly suggested 
by the rays from Father Sun. Inside the hol¬ 
lowed bowl was the gwansnag (long stone) 
the pestle for grinding, which was “as long as 
an Indian’s forearm.” 

When every space had been thoroughly 
brushed, Jeets Bodansha swept the dust into 
the central fire. After the hearth stone had 
been brushed with the wing from a wild tur¬ 
key, the mats and skins were brought in and 
the wigwam put in order. She ended the little 
song with which her work had been lightened 
and breathed a sigh of relief because her clean- 



CALL FROM THE CORN FIELDS 77 



Dakwang, or Mortar 


ing was finished and she could go to Bright 
Moon’s wigwam and play with her little grand¬ 
son. 

Little Bird, taking her beadwork, sat down 
outside the wigwam to watch for Pigeon Wing. 
She dreamily pushed the threads of sinew 
through the skin with her sharp bone awl and, 
as the birds began their sleeptime songs, her 
lips curved in a tender smile. Were the words 
which Tantaquidgeon had spoken, mingled 
with the melody? 








Following the season of the corn planting 
came the Moon of the Strawberries, when na¬ 
ture is at her greatest beauty in the vicinity of 
the Great River. The bloom of the dogwood 
had been followed by the blush of wild roses 
along the river bank and the air was fragrant 
with their delicate perfume, mingled with that 
of the luscious wild strawberries, which grew 
in profusion. 

Several times while the Sun made his circuit 
of the sky, the women and children had been 
in the fields and sunny spaces in the woods 
gathering the delicious berries. It was great 
sport for Pigeon Wing and the younger helpers, 
for their lips and cheeks bore evidence that 
fully as many berries found their way between 
their rosy lips as went into the little birch bark 
baskets. All that could not be eaten were 
spread on rawhides, on top of low scaffolds 
out of reach of the dogs, to be dried for winter 


78 









THE FEAST OF THE STRAWBERRIES 79 


use, for they gave a delicate flavor when stirred 
into the corn meal for breakfast, or mixed in 
the cakes which were baked in the ashes. 

When the full moon hung in the sky and the 
berries were at their largest and sweetest, invi¬ 
tations were painted on small pieces of the 
delicate inner bark of the white birch and sent 
to the members of the tribe living in the forest 
villages to come and join in the yearly Feast 
of the Strawberries. The occasion had a re¬ 
ligious significance for thanks were given for 
the abundant crop of the first fruits of the sea¬ 
son ; it was also an invocation to Mother Earth, 
and the spirits of the Sun, the Winds, and the 
Rain to be propitious to the crops that had been 
planted recently, and bring a good harvest. 

Besides having the ceremonial side, it was 
also a time of rejoicing; for individual families 
might make it a convenient time to celebrate 
the cutting of a first tooth or the first steps 
taken by a boy; for every period of growth in 
the life of a young, future warrior was marked 
by a celebration. Often some maiden of the 
marriageable age of fifteen or sixteen summers 
would give a Maiden’s Feast to testify to her 
carefully guarded innocence and purity. 
Youthful warriors gave a similar feast show- 



80 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


ing that they had never spoken in courtship to 
a girl, for it was considered rather weak for a 
brave to speak words of love until he had 
gained distinction in the chase, showing that 
he could provide for a wife, or had won some 
honors in battle. 

For some days the older women had been 
grinding extra quantities of corn, or parching 
it before grinding, to make yokeg, which was 
considered a special dainty when sprinkled 
with maple sugar. 

Very early in the morning on the day of the 
Feast, some of the women and girls went out 
to gather a fresh supply of berries, while others 
remained at home to bake the bread of corn 
meal mixed with fresh berries and to prepare 
the piamang for baking, either in the hot 
ashes or on scaffolds of green saplings over 
the coals. 

Meanwhile the braves were arranging their 
holiday dress and the young bachelors were 
paying especial attention to the adornment of 
their hair. There was a great variety in the 
styles, for the heads were shaven in accordance 
with the rules of the clan to which they be¬ 
longed. Some wore their hair long; or long on 
one side, with the other side shaven; others 



THE FEAST OF THE STRA WBERRIES 81 


had their hair in tufts with the bare scalp show¬ 
ing between. Another style showed the head 
shaven, except for a narrow strip of hair ex¬ 
tending from the forehead to the nape of the 
neck. 

All were busy, dressing their hair with bear’s 
grease and making it smooth and glossy with 
repeated strokes of a porcupine brush. Those 
with the strip of hair stiffened theirs with a 
mixture of paint added to the oil, and brushed 
it to stand upright when it dried. Then each 
adorned his locks with the number of feathers 
to which he was entitled. For this gala oc¬ 
casion only a few strokes of paint were spar¬ 
ingly used for the decoration of their faces. 
They selected their best moccasins, the man¬ 
tles of feathers, or those of thin skins elabo¬ 
rately painted or embroidered with quills and 
wampum; then each chose, or wore all his arm- 
lets, strings of wampum, necklaces of bones or 
shells, and decorated his ears with ornaments 
of bone. 

Notwithstanding all the preparations, the 
women had found time to adorn themselves, 
first painting their own and the faces of the 
children. Their most gaily decorated clothing 
was selected, the long skirts held in place with 




82 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the best wampum belts, and their ornaments 
were not forgotten. 

All of the guests arrived quite early, carried 
their presents to the Sachem and shortly be¬ 
fore the Sun was round above, the Shaman ap¬ 
peared in the mask and mantle suitable for the 
festival and the brief religious ceremonies took 
place. 

Then some of the braves squatted about on 
mats, talking with their guests, telling stories, 
gravely discussing the possibilities of future 
treachery, or playing games of dice, according 
to their individual temperaments. The younger 
men followed the group of maidens and chap¬ 
erones to attend the next ceremonial. Among 
them were Tantaquidgeon and Puppompogs, 
for some of the scouts had been released from 
duty and their places filled by others. 

An invitation had been extended by Little 
Bird to her girl friends to participate in a Maid¬ 
en’s Feast. She had now put on the bitkaz, or 
long dress of womanhood, indicating that she 
had reached a marriageable age; this occasion 
signified not only her own innocence but that 
of the girls who attended. The girls gathered in 
secluded place about a large rock which served 
as an altar, where each could, separately, lay 




THE FEAST OF THE STRA WBERRIES 83 



PUPPOMPOGS 


her offering; seated in a large circle about 
them were the elderly women, who acted as 
chaperones. Standing a little aside were the 
young bachelors, who were allowed to witness 
the ceremony. 

Among those present was Morning Glory, 
a handsome girl, at whom some of the women 
looked askance on account of her bold man¬ 
ners with the young braves. The unfortunate 
girl had lost her father in the Pequot War and 
her mother had died two or three years later, 
when she had reached the age when a girl most 




84 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


needs her mother’s guidance. She had been 
left to the care of an aunt, with a large family, 
who paid little attention, except to instruct her 
about her tasks. As Morning Glory laid her 
offering on the altar, the more suspicious 
women expected to see it, in some way re¬ 
jected, or that someone would raise an objec¬ 
tion. When nothing happened one old matron 
whispered, “If she does not take more care of 
her behavior, no one will invite her again.” 

When Little Bird modestly advanced to lay 
her offering on the stone, Tantaquidgeon com¬ 
pressed his lips as he thought of the ill fortune 
of having no opportunity to engage in warfare, 
winning distinction as a brave, and giving him 
the privilege of carrying marriage offerings to 
a maiden and her father. He must refrain from 
any marked attentions and perhaps see the girl 
whom he most cared for, won by another. 

When the birch bark trays containing maple 
sugar and berries were passed about, Puppom- 
pogs with a malicious glance at Tantaquid¬ 
geon began conversation with Little Bird. 
Smarting with anger, the younger brave com¬ 
menced to jest with the altogether too willing 
Morning Glory. Not understanding the reason, 
his hostess felt hurt at his lack of friendliness 



THE FEAST OF THE STRA WBERRIES 85 


toward herself, and proudly concealed any in¬ 
terest that she might modestly have shown. 
This only added to the chagrin from which he 
was suffering, and as they returned down the 
trail, Tantaquidgeon ardently wished for more 
warfare with an opportunity for showing brav¬ 
ery and winning honors. 

After they rejoined the groups gaily con¬ 
versing or playing games near the Council 
Lodge, it was decided to spend the time inter¬ 
vening before the feast, with a ball game 
played by the younger men. The older braves 
left their quiet amusements to witness the more 
exciting one. This proved to be a sharply con¬ 
tested game, that enhanced the jealous rivalry 
already existing between Puppompogs and 
Tantaquidgeon. 

The women had shown their guests to the 
places of honor in the wigwams and, while the 
final preparations of the food were in progress, 
discussed the merits of their children, or de¬ 
signs for beadwork. 

The children with their young visitors, hung 
about begging their mothers for pieces of the 
maple sugar which were being unpacked from 
the birch bark cases. Finally, Jeets Bodansha 
said emphatically: 




86 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“No more sugar! You children will be sick! 
My Son, take your friends and your puppy and 
go out and play.” Then turning to Pigeon 
Wing, “Little Daughter, you and the girls must 
take your doll papooses and sit under the oak 
tree where I can see you.” 

As soon as Crow Feather went outside he 
gave a peculiar whistle; immediately his 
friends came running from all directions and, 
after a few words, the boys disappeared over 
the bank by the river. Meanwhile Pigeon Wing 
and her little friends mothered their dolls, the 
women continued the cooking and conversa¬ 
tion, and all was peaceful. 

Angry shouts, mingled with the yelping of 
dogs were heard! The mothers rushed out; 
looking over the bank, they found that, as 
usual, Crow Feather was in mischief! He had 
separated the boys into two bands and was di¬ 
recting a sham battle from the stories that he 
had heard related by the old braves who had 
fought against the Pequots. Having broken 
some twigs from a pine tree he had fastened 
them in his hair for feathers and was imperson¬ 
ating Uncas; he had designated his chum Wee- 
mo Skee-sucks (Little Bright Eyes) to repre¬ 
sent Sassacus, the slain Pequot Sachem. All 




THE FEAST OF THE STRA WBERRIES 87 



Medicine Man’s Mask 


had gone well until one of the boys, who was 
impersonating one of the conquered tribe, re¬ 
fused the indignity of being scalped—and the 
sham battle became a real one with fists be¬ 
tween the two boys. The yelps of the dogs and 
shouts of the rest of the boys, whether urging 
them on or trying to make peace, added to the 
tumult. 

A few emphatic words from the mothers 
with threats of, “No Feast,” followed by di¬ 
rections to plunge into the water to wash away 
the marks of warfare, brought the youthful 
would-be warriors up the bank in very subdued 
and chastened attitudes. Crow Feather, lag¬ 
ging behind, came last of all, but Jeets Bodan- 
sha awaited him and, grasping his shoulder, 
exclaimed: 




88 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“Namakkis, what bad spirit has possessed 
you that you dared to impersonate the Sunjum 
(Sachem) ? It was not respectful! Suppose he 
had seen you! You must try to be a good boy, 
or some misfortune will overtake you!” 

In a frightened voice Crow Feather said, 
“Oh, Nannang, don’t tell the Chief! I didn’t 
mean to be naughty. We were playing war, 
and I knew that the Sunjum directed the 
battle.” 

But forgetfulness had brought hard punish¬ 
ment upon little Weemo; for far worse than 
imitating the Sachem, was the wickedness of 
impersonating one who had gone on the Long 
Trail to the abode of Kiehtan in the spirit 
world. 

His mother shivered with apprehension as 
she exclaimed, “Namakkis, how dared you! 
Why did you let him lead you into such wrong 
doing?” 

Carrying sacrifices to propitiate the evil 
spirits, he was taken to the Shaman. The medi¬ 
cine man put on his most horrible mask, 
chanted weird songs and uttered fierce yells to 
scare away the harmful spirits. The greatest 
punishment of all for the frightened boy came 
when the Shaman told him, “You cannot at- 



THE FEAST OF THE STRA WBERRIES 89 



He Chanted Weird Songs and Uttered Fierce Yells 


tend the Feast! You must stay alone in my wig¬ 
wam.” 

The Feast was ready and the braves sat on 
the mats, while before them were placed the 
wooden trays containing the baked fish, that 
had been cut in portions with knives of sharp¬ 
ened flint. The meal cakes were piled in 
wooden bowls and, to accommodate the extra 
guests, the yokeg, sprinkled with maple sugar, 
was served in the wooden mortars and into 
each a number of braves were expected to dip 












90 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


their wooden spoons. Some birch bark trays 
were filled with strawberries and others con¬ 
tained maple sugar. 

Before anyone had been served, each woman 
took some of every kind of food that she had 
prepared, and sprinkled it on the fire as a 
sacrifice. Then Uncas gave thanks to Mother 
Earth and, according to custom, went to one 
side and sat down, smoking his long decorated 
pipe while the braves partook of the feast to 
which he had invited them. 

As the women were moving about refilling 
the trays with food there was an occasional 
opportunity for a youthful brave to give an 
eloquent glance or whisper a fervent greeting 
to some maiden whom he admired. Little Bird 
leaned over to place a tray before her father; 
Tantaquidgeon, who was sitting beside him, 
breathed softly, “Whenever I hear a bird trill¬ 
ing his evening song, I seem to see a beautiful 
maiden sitting with her lap full of flowers.” 

A slight flush was the only sign that she had 
heard, but Puppompogs who was sitting near 
by had noted the moving lips and the answer¬ 
ing flush. Rankling with jealousy over his 
defeats in the springtime contest, and in the 
ball game just ended, he thought, “Huh! He is 




THE FEAST OF THE STRAWBERRIES 91 


beginning to love the girl! Now I know how to 
get even with him! He cannot hope to carry 
presents to her father, for he has not won dis¬ 
tinction as a brave.” As Little Bird passed to 
the other group, Puppompogs paid her a slight 
compliment and the attention was seen by both 
Tantaquidgeon and her father. Not hearing 
the words Occum thought, “He would make a 
good son-in-law and any girl would be proud 
to tend his hearth fire.” 

But Tantaquidgeon sat in stoical silence as 
he thought of the ill fortune of a peaceful life, 
that brought little chance for winning an eagle 
feather. He thought, “How can I hope to win 
her away from him? At my age, he was fight¬ 
ing and winning honors on the side of Sassacus 
and his father.” While he was wishing for 
more warfare, with an opportunity for show¬ 
ing bravery and winning honors, the feast 
ended; Uncas again gave thanks, not only for 
the bountiful supply of fruit, but added an in¬ 
vocation to Mother Earth for a propitious har¬ 
vest. 






On the day of the Strawberry Feast, follow¬ 
ing the religious ceremonies and during the in¬ 
terval between the Feast of the Maidens and 
the great repast, some one proposed playing 
the favorite game of ball; as it met with ap¬ 
proval, the younger braves went to the wig¬ 
wams for their rackets. These were made from 
saplings with the smaller end bent around in 
a circle and fastened to the handle with twisted 
fibres or thongs, and with a cup-shaped net 
woven from hemp, or of thongs, to catch the 
ball in play. Each brave had his mark on the 
handle to identify his own racket. 

When all had met at the field, lots were 
drawn dividing the players for the east and 
west sides and Sugayo Awausseus (Black 
Bear) was chosen for the referee. It happened 
that Tantaquidgeon drew the East or Red Goal 
and, having to stand in front of it, had the dis¬ 
advantage of the glare from the afternoon sun 


92 








THE BALL GAME 


93 



A Racket 


in his eyes. Puppompogs was among the num¬ 
ber allotted to the West or Yellow goal and, as 
a strong west wind was blowing, muttered to 
himself, “Even the Four Brothers (the winds) 
favor him. The Kskac ssen (northwest wind) 
will blow the ball towards his goalbut for¬ 
got the disadvantage of his rival in being 
blinded by the rays from Father Sun. 

Rackets in hand these two leaders took their 
places at their respective goals and with each 
stood a man from the other side to hinder the 
ball by tossing it back toward the players of 
his own band; then the other players went to 
their places in the field between the posts. 

Black Bear, when all were ready, took the 
ball (made from a small bladder covered with 
a netting of woven sinew) and, going to the 
center of the field, went through the special 
ceremonies required for invoking the spirits 
of the air and the winds; then tossed the ball 
high in the air as a signal for the play to begin. 

All the players were alert. Those from both 







94 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


sides, who were nearest the point where the 
ball might fall, stood poised, ready to run and 
catch it in the outstretched rackets. As it 
descended, an agile young brave of Puppom- 
pogs’ group was successful and, holding his 
racket so the ball would not fall out, ran swiftly 
toward his goal. The other group started in 
hot pursuit hoping to strike his racket and dis¬ 
lodge the ball. His defenders blocked their 
progress. Nearing the goal, he gave a skillful 
twist to his racket, sending the ball toward the 
pole. At the same time, the opponent standing 
near the post leaped with outstretched racket, 
hoping to deflect the ball and send it back into 
the field. He failed; it struck the goal post 
squarely, giving the first score to the Yellow, 
or Puppompogs’ group. 

It was a spectacular and unusual play to 
score so quickly and shouts of satisfaction 
arose from the winners. Sounds of approval 
were heard from the elder onlookers who ap¬ 
preciated skillful playing on whichever side it 
chanced to be. 

Black Bear, the Referee, walked to the west¬ 
ern goal to mark the score, then, returning to 
the center of the field, tossed the ball into the 
air for the second play. 



THE BALL GAME 


95 



A Member of Puppompogs’ Group Caught the Ball 


Again a member of Puppompogs’ group 
caught the ball, but before the wearer of the 
Yellow emblem could run more than a few 
steps his racket was hit by a Red and the ball 
tossed high in the air, was caught by the favor¬ 
able west wind and veered in the direction of 
Tantaquidgeon. As it seemed about to hit the 
Red post, the defender for the Yellow caught it 
in his racket and it went spinning to the center 
of the field; there the contest was so sharp that 
the ball was caught first by one side and then 









96 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the other, until in the skirmish it was tossed out 
of a racket when two contestants attempted to 
catch it at the same time. Both failed and the 
ball dropped to the ground! 

As this was against the rules, Black Bear 
questioned the players to determine which side 
had caused it to fall, so he could mark the pen¬ 
alty. As neither group seemed at fault, the 
game was declared lost. 

The Referee advanced to the center and 
tossed the ball for the beginning of the third 
play. This time the good fortune fell to a mem¬ 
ber of the Reds, who took the precaution of 
standing with his back to the sun. He caught 
the ball with his racket held high—dexterously 
turning it to avoid the blows of his opponents 
—and started on a spectacular run toward the 
Eastern goal. Darting in and out between the 
Yellows, who were hindered by those of his 
own side, he had almost reached it, and was 
turning his racket to send the ball to the post, 
when his arm was hit by the racket of the Yel¬ 
low defender! This was against the rules and 
the foul play aroused the indignation of Tanta- 
quidgeon’s group and they loudly protested. 
The Referee was surrounded by players of both 
sides, all talking at once. Although the ball 



THE BALL GAME 


97 


failed to hit the goal the Reds were arguing 
that the score should be given to them. 

Puppompogs came forward and said: 

“It was an accident. The goal was not 
struck, so the Reds should not be allowed to 
score.” 

Tantaquidgeon reminded Black Bear: 

“The opponent did not aim as high as the 
ball. If the arm of the player had not been 
struck who can say whether the post would not 
have been hit?” 

Grunts of approval were heard from the 
spectators, and the Referee decided that the 
Yellow made a foul play and the game should 
be counted in favor of the Reds, so he marked 
the score on the Eastern goal. 

It had been decided that two games out of 
three should decide the victory and as neither 
side had scored on the second, Black Bear went 
to the center to toss the ball for the fourth, and 
probably final game. Puppompogs, trying to 
conceal his anger, showed only a slight scowl 
for he knew that a fair judgment had been 
given, but he was desperately anxious for his 
side to win. 

As the ball fell, again fortune favored his 
band, for it was caught in the racket of a Yel- 



98 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


low brave and the young athlete, swift of foot, 
started in the direction of the Western goal, 
carrying his racket close to his side, giving his 
opponents less opportunity for hitting it. When 
about half way to his goal, he was surrounded 
by Reds, who were attempting to hit his racket 
without striking his arm. Members of his own 
side were keeping near, trying to interfere with 
those who blocked his progress. One of them 
collided with an opponent and, both falling, 
tripped the runner! The ball bounded from his 
net, but was rescued by one of his band, who 
tossed it toward their goal. The racket of the 
Red defender caught it, and sent it flying over 
the heads of the players toward the Eastern 
goal. The Yellow defender sprang to catch it; 
but Tantaquidgeon was ahead of him, caught it 
and turning instantly drove the ball against his 
goal, winning the victory. 

Shouts of exultation arose from the victors! 
Crowding around Tantaquidgeon, they danced 
with glee over the triumph; the cries of ap¬ 
proval from the onlookers added to the pande¬ 
monium. The vanquished tried to accept the 
defeat without showing too much chagrin; but 
wishing to be first in everything, Puppompogs 
smiled grimly. Rankling with jealousy, while 



THE BALL GAME 


99 


the braves were returning to their wigwams, he 
thought, “I’ll get even with him yet!” When 
sitting at the Strawberry Feast which imme¬ 
diately followed, he discovered the way of 
causing Tantaquidgeon to suffer. 







The Season of the Hot Suns reached its 
height at the time of the Thunder Moon and 
the rays from Father Sun burned fiercely dur¬ 
ing the long time taken for his journey for, at 
this season, the sleeptime came late and ended 
early, with the stars having only a brief jour¬ 
ney. 

As soon as the dew had dried, so the bean 
vines would not show rust spots when touched 
by the earth, the women went out with their 
clamshell hoes and cultivated the rapidly 
growing corn. While the Sun was overhead, 
they kept within the wigwams to avoid the 
scorching heat, quietly working on splint bas¬ 
kets or articles of clothing. Later, when the 
south winds brought refreshing breezes from 
the Little Salt Sea, the women and children 
wandered along the river bank gathering the 
black raspberries, or up on the hillsides where 
the early blueberries were beginning to ap¬ 
pear in the sunny places about the stumps that 


100 










THE THUNDER MOON 


101 


remained after the great trees had been girdled 
for making dugout canoes. 

While the braves were away, engaged in 
fishing, bathing in the River was a favorite di¬ 
version, especially when the tide brought the 
wavelets lapping against the shore and the 
timid swimmers felt less fear of being carried 
down stream. Below the camp not far from 
some of the outlying wigwams, was a sheltered 
cove where Pigeon Wing, Humming Bird and 
several other little girls were taught to swim 
by the older sisters and mothers. 

On one occasion Little Bird took a few grace¬ 
ful strokes, keeping her feet closely held to¬ 
gether as she swung them from side to side, to 
propel herself forward, in front of her little 
sister; then she held the child, supporting her 
by a hand under her chin as she tried to teach 
her. Pigeon Wing, finding it hard to keep 
afloat, began to paddle with her feet apart, 
imitating the boys. “Sister,” exclaimed Little 
Bird, “ you must hold your feet close together. 
It is not modest for a girl to swim in any other 
way!” 

One day during the Thunder Moon, when 
Father Sun had begun his downward journey, 
the boys who had spent most of the time in 



102 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the water came ashore to rest. They sat watch¬ 
ing their little brothers in their attempts at 
swimming and laughed at the antics of those 
who floundered about in the shallow places, 
playing beaver; carrying in their mouths little 
twigs of the juicy black birch; holding their 
arms motionless, close to their sides, and swim¬ 
ming with toes spread apart, imitating the 
webbed hind feet. 

Too old to join in this pastime, the boys be¬ 
gan directing them in building beaver huts. 
Using some discarded baskets for a founda¬ 
tion, the older boys assisted in burying the 
handles in the mud, beneath a few inches of 
water, with the rims, on one side, resting on 
the ground. Then the little fellows wriggled 
along carrying mud on their hands and piling 
it for a covering on the splint foundations, or 
bringing twigs and pebbles in their mouths. To 
make the play more realistic, a boy would 
squirm along with feet held together and bring 
them down with a whack in imitation of the 
spatulate tail. Then down they would go into 
the water, and coming up head first under their 
lodges, and peeking out roguishly through the 
openings where the basketry had given way. 
As the lodges were few, punishment overtook 



THE THUNDER MOON 


103 


the boys remaining in the coveted dwellings 
too long and very unbeaverlike pommeling 
and yells frequently sounded when a would-be 
dweller slapped a usurper. 

On some of the Suns, parties were arranged 
to go down on the point where the most re¬ 
freshing breezes were felt and the mothers 
would watch their children playing on the sand 
beneath the bank. Most of the women worked 
on moccasins, and during a pause in the con¬ 
versation, Jeets Bodansha dropped her work 
and remarked to the friend sitting beside her, 
“Sometimes, I wish I never had to see another 
makas (moccasin). We have enough beaded 
ones for feast days, but those for everyday use 
wear out so fast. Ktcais (Husband) is very 
hard on his makasantc (moccasins). With my 
large family, at least six pairs are worn out 
every moon, and my little girl grows so fast 
that many cannot be made for her, ahead.” 

“Isn’t she old enough to make her own?” 

“My older daughter makes her own and 
those for her little sister, so it is easier for me, 
now,” she replied. 

“I am afraid you spoil your youngest child! 
Haven’t you taught her to make them?” ques¬ 
tioned another listener. 




104 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


'“She is learning, but pricks her fingers with 
the bone awl; besides she helps more by taking 
care of her sister's papoose/' with a glance 
toward Bright Moon sitting among the groups 
of young matrons, with their babies rolling 
about them on the soft turf. After a pause she 
continued, “Oh, no, I don't intend to spoil my 
little Natanis," hiding her amusement at the 
reproof in the tone of her friend's voice. 

Meanwhile, uneasiness was felt in the wig¬ 
wam of the Sachem; a messenger from the 
Podunks had arrived with the news that false 
reports had been carried to the Palefaces of a 
general uprising of the tribes against them. He 
added, “The word has been sent to the Pale¬ 
face Father at Shawmut and he has ordered his 
warriors to take away all the weapons of the 
Mattachuseuk!" (Massachusett Tribe). 

“Who started those false reports?" inquired 
Uncas. 

“We do not know," replied the Podunk. 
“When the interpreter questioned our Chief¬ 
tain, he said that a Red Man had told the Pale¬ 
face Father at Quinnipiack. Another Red Man, 
who had been hurt by a cart, had told the 
Father at Suckiaug that the Paleface's God was 
angry with him for concealing the conspiracy, 



THE THUNDER MOON 


105 



and had set the Paleface’s Cow to kill him.” 

A troubled expression settled on the face of 
Uncas. The matter was a serious one. “Do the 
Palefaces think us guilty of such treachery?” 
he inquired. 

“We do not know, but the Father at Shaw- 
mut sent two of their warriors with two inter¬ 
preters to Miantonomo to warn him against 
more plotting. They summoned him to appear 



106 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


before them. He told them, “The report was 
spread by Uncas.’’ 

“The treacherous liar!” roared Uncas. “Did 
they believe him?” 

“The. interpreter did not accuse us or you.” 

“They have sent no summons to me,” con¬ 
tinued the anxious Sachem. “If they believe 
me treacherous, will they send their warriors 
with the weapons that breathe fire and attack 
us?” 

There could be no answer to that question, 
so the messenger was dismissed and, while be¬ 
ing served food, told those who gathered about 
him of their great danger if the reports were 
believed. 

Uncas sat alone, hoping for guidance on the 
right trail and trying to decide whether to send 
messengers and presents assuring the Fathers 
of his loyalty. He thought of the possibility of 
their being captured and craftily decided to 
await some action by the Palefaces, and to 
prepare for defense, byredoubling the number 
of scouts on the westward trails. 





The summer was passing rapidly. The straw¬ 
berry season had been followed by that of the 
wild black raspberries which ripened during 
the Thunder Moon; now it was late in the 
sleeptime before she hung her crescent in the 
sky and blueberries were showing the purple 
tint under the bloom, which was one of the 
signs that the ripening of corn was near. 

One morning when the women met at the 
spring, the decision was made for the cere¬ 
monial visit to the fields for the gathering of 
the First Corn. This was an important event 
for, as the Life Giver had given life to the 
corn, it was now ready to sustain life and there¬ 
fore the corn had become sacred. Very close 
to the hearts of the people was the thought that 
the corn formed a bond between them and the 
Creator of life, so a deep and sacred meaning 
underlay the music of the chant with which 
they started for the fields: 


107 







108 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“To the fields we go with expectant mind 
On the tall waving stalks ripe ears to find: 

Oh! Ho! we go, 

We go, we go, 

Ripe ears to find.” 

When the fields had been reached they 
passed between the tall rows, looking for ripe 
ears; the rustle of the leaves and the snapping 
of the stalks accompanied the second part of 
the song: 

“Ah! See the ears completely filled 
With the sweet life giving grain, 

A sacred gift from the Giver of Life 
To renew our strength again. 

Oh, see the grain! 

Oh, see! Oh see! 

Oh, see the grain!” 

When the ripe ears had been picked they 
started toward the wigwams singing: 

“And as we turn with laden arms 
A joyous song we raise: 

And carry the gift to those we love, 

To the Giver of Life be praise! 

Happy we go! 

We go, we go, 

Happy we go!” 

As they arrived at the ceremonial space, the 



FIRST CORN 


109 



ears were placed on poles covering a long pit 
in which a fire had been kindled; about this 
they sat chanting until the corn had been 
roasted and eaten. The ceremony closed with 
measured steps as they danced around the pit 
chanting: 

“To the Giver of Life be praise!’’ 

The ceremonials finished, the women and 
children in groups started for the forest to 
gather roots and herbs necessary for the black 
medicine to be used at the Corn Feast, which 
would follow soon. 

They paused a brief time to watch a group 
of inveterate old gamblers who were playing 
Hubbub. An old man held a wooden tray con¬ 
taining five small bones painted black on one 
side; he was thumping the platter violently on 
the ground while the others were smiting their 
breasts and chanting, “Hub! hub, hub,” in 





110 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


unison. As they watched, one toss brought 
down the bones all black, winning a double 
game. He shouted “Ba-iog!” (Ten) exultingly, 
his old voice cracking with excitement. The 
next blow brought four of one color and one 
odd, which lost; so he passed the tray to the 
next player. His violent thump won a single 
game, with three of white and two blacks show¬ 
ing, so above the voices of the other players 
sounded his count of “Nipau” (Five). He lost 
with the second trial, and passed the tray to a 
third player, whose first attempt caused the 
bones or dice to fall with three blacks and 
two whites, giving him “Nipau.” A second 
blow showed all whites and again “Baiog” was 
shouted to the monotonous accompaniment of 
“Hub, hub, hub,” as the onlookers moved away 
toward the forest. 

The women were wise in plant lore, knowing 
the appearance of every plant and its uses, also 
the time when it should be gathered. They 
made lotions for cuts and bruises, liniments to 
relieve strains, and brewed drinks for the many 
illnesses. When there was sickness, those of 
long experience came with some decoction, or 
to give advice, for while the Moigu-wag (witch 
doctors) prepared and administered some 





FIRST CORN 


ill 


herbs, one was called only when the usual rem¬ 
edies failed to relieve the sufferer, and yells, 
incantations and all the noise, which accom¬ 
panied powwowing, were deemed necessary to 
drive away the evil spirits. 

Each elderly woman thought her own fre¬ 
quently used remedies the best and recipes for 
their concoction were a favorite topic for con¬ 
versation. Spirited discussions arose as to 
whether a brew of black cherry bark, or one 
made from the roots of sarsparilla and sweet 
flag, proved more beneficial for coughs. 

“A brew of elm bark is good for a cold and 
the cough, too,” remarked one grandmother. 

“There is nothing so good to break up a 
cold as wild cherry leaves steeped with bone- 
set,” added another, “especially if you drink it 
hot at night and cold in the morning.” 

“We keep from having colds,” remarked an¬ 
other with a self-satisfied expression, “because 
I give my family a brew of dandelion root and 
another of wintergreen, whenever I think it 
will do them good.” 

The others exchanged sly smiles because it 
was a subject for jokes that her husband dared 
to express his opinion only when out of her 
hearing. 



112 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Each time they went into the woods, Jeets 
Bodansha instructed Little Bird regarding 
medicinal plants, and told Crow Feather and 
Pigeon Wing which were poisonous to the 
touch; for every child, and especially the girls, 
at an early age received practical knowledge 
of scores of plants. 

“Careful, Natanis,” warned her mother as 
Pigeon Wing started to pick some sprigs from 
a glossy vine, “that is poison ivy.” 

“I thought it was woodbine.” 

“No; remember the ivy has three leaves on 
the stem, while the woodbine has five. Did 
you touch it?” 

“Not quite.” 

“If you should brush against some, first 
wash your hands, or wherever it touches, then 
bathe it with a decoction of sweet fern leaves. 
Some people are poisoned if a strong breeze 
blows the pollen on them.” 

A group of boys hurried ahead; Crow 
Feather yelled and the rest of the boys fled 
wildly in all directions, swinging their arms 
about their heads; his mother rushed to him 
to find that he had been stung by a hornet. He 
was jumping about and swinging his arm with 
the pain. 



FIRST CORN 


1.13 


“Keep still, Namakkis (My Son) I’ll find 
some plantain leaves soon, I think, and will 
bind them on to draw out the poison; anyway, 
we are near the brook and we will put on some 
mud.” 

As they walked along, leaves of tansy, 
pennyroyal, wintergreen and pipsissewa (or 
Prince’s pine) were gathered to be dried for 
the winter. At the brookside they sat down to 
rest and the children brought stalks of the pun¬ 
gent peppermint, but taking care to fill their 
mouths first. 

Elder bark, bloodroot, ground pine and 
dandelion were among the roots sought for 
the black medicine. In more sunny places, 
burdock, boneset and motherwort grew in pro¬ 
fusion. With baskets filled and arms laden 
with the long stalks, to which were added the 
delicate fronds of meadow rue, they returned 
homeward as the Sun lighted the glowing 
campfires at the end of his sky trail, and the 
cloud wigwams crimsoned in the approaching 
twilight. 





XII. 

The Corn Feast 



When the Harvest Moon hung her crescent 
in the sky preparations were begun for the 
Green Corn Feast. Runners were sent to all 
the tributary tribes living in the forests almost 
as far west as the Long River and to Ma-gun- 
ka-quog, a few miles south, where a remnant 
of the conquered Pequots were now living. 
All were invited to come and remain for the in¬ 
terval of four sleeps at the time when the Har¬ 
vest Moon rose round and full before the Sun 
had closed the curtains of his wigwam. 

This was the greatest feast of the year; not 
only among the Mohegans, but with other 
tribes belonging to the same great family, who 
lived along the borders of the Great Salt Sea, 
from the farthest point toward the frozen 
North where corn could mature, to the tribes 
living in the far South where there is always 
warm sunshine, the flowers always bloom and 
the fountains bring eternal youth. Word had 


114 










THE CORN FEAST 


115 


come that the Corn Feast was held beyond the 
country of the Iroquois, far, far away in the 
land of the Dakotahs, and among many tribes 
living on the great level plains of the West; 
even in the far Southwest where many people 
lived in houses made of sun-baked clay and 
piled, one on top of another in sloping layers. 

The feast was not held at exactly the same 
time because of the differences of the season 
when the com ripened; but however great the 
enmity between tribes, it made a little bond of 
union to know that each one was making sacri¬ 
fices and giving thanks to Mother Earth for 
granting good harvests to sustain their lives. 
Naturally the customs varied among the tribes, 
because climate changed their manner of liv¬ 
ing; but the trails extended both west and 
south across the country and when a brave 
went, perhaps hundreds of miles, on a visit to 
a friendly tribe, or to trade, he was sure to 
meet some Indian from farther west, who had 
traveled still farther west and knew traders 
from southern nations, so the traditions and 
customs were similar, and known among 
tribes living great distances apart. 

It was known, even in Mohegan, that some 
nations living far toward the land where 




116 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Father Sun closed the curtains of his wigwam, 
counted the beginning of the new year at the 
time of the Green Corn Feast; that those 
peoples threw aside their worn-out clothing, 
and those faraway women broke up their old 
cooking utensils and kindled fresh fires as a 
symbol of the passing of the old and the com¬ 
ing of the new year. 

Great surprise was expressed around the 
hearth fires at those strange customs so differ¬ 
ent from in the East. One said, “Does not the 
old year leave when the warm south Wind 
pushes Old Man Winter back to his wigwam 
in the North and the ice melts?” Another ques¬ 
tioned, “Does not the new year begin when the 
brooks burst forth from their icy bonds and 
begin their little songs as they flow over the 
stones?” 

One exclaimed, “What a strange country it 
must be, where the year does not begin when 
the sap commences to flow and give new life 
to the trees!” Then another added, “Our cus¬ 
tom is more sensible to have the year begin in 
the springtime and have the Corn Feast a fes¬ 
tival of thanks for the good harvest which has 
provided food for the long, cold freezing¬ 
time.” 



THE CORN FEAST 


117 


Before the time appointed for the arrival of 
the guests, the women had provided extra shel¬ 
ters, by driving two upright rows of crotched 
posts into the ground to support the covering 
of birch saplings, on which the leaves had been 
left; the sides were enclosed by leafy birches 
woven in and out like coarse basket work. A 
smaller arbor to protect the sacrificial offerings 
was also erected. 

With the arrival of the guests the camp was 
thrown into great excitement as the children 
recognized with glad shouts the children whom 
they had not seen since the Strawberry Feast, 
or, others, not since the Corn Feast thirteen 
long moons before. All were greeting the visi¬ 
tors and exchanging the salutation, “Wig wa 
sun” (May you live happily). 

The women were busy showing their guests 
to their sleeping quarters in the place of honor 
behind the hearth fire. In the communal houses 
there was usually an extra room for guests and, 
naturally, the youths gave up their quarters to 
their elders and expected to sleep—during the 
little time devoted to rest—in the temporary 
shelters. All the visitors had arrived by the 
time the Sun had reached the highest point in 
the sky trail, the greetings had been spoken 
and the presents carried to the Sunjum. 




118 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


As the occasion was a great religious cere¬ 
monial when thanks were given to Mother 
Earth, not only for the abundant harvest of 
corn, but also for every living thing that grew 
to sustain life, to Gluskap, the Creator of life, 
to Father Sun and all the spirits of nature who 
had been propitious to the harvests. The first 
day was devoted to the brewing of the medi¬ 
cinal drink and the fasting, both of which were 
considered necessary before religious cere¬ 
monies. 

The second day was the great occasion of 
the offering of the corn, so very early in the 
morning, all gathered in the open space inside 
the stockade for the preliminary ritual chant: 

“Golden and tall the corn stalks stand 
Nodding and swaying on every hand 
As if calling, come and bring 
To the “Giver of Life” your offering.” 

As the first part of the chant ended, every 
brave who was the head of a family, wrapping 
his mantle closely around him to conceal his 
flint knife, preceded his wife j these forming 
the leaders of the procession. The long line 
of people moved in and out among the trees 
singing: 




THE CORN FEAST 


119 

“We hear the rustle of waving corn 
And haste to obey the call; 

We glean the ripened sacred ears 
And stalks so graceful and tall. 

We obey its call, 

We go and bring 
To the ‘Giver of Life’ 

Our offering.” 

When they reached the com fields each 
brave cut with his flint knife the stalks from 
the sacred hills planted by his wife; passing 
half of them to her, the stalks were grasped 
within the folds of their mantles and held aloft 
while the procession moved slowly back to the 
inclosure singing: 

“Yu ni ne ne Mundowi Wiwatcaman 
Yu ni ne ne Mundowi Wiwatcaman 
Mundowi, Mundowi Wiwatcaman” 

,(Here, that Sacred Corn 
Here, that Sacred Corn 
Sacred, Sacred Corn.) 

Near the arbor enclosing the altar, stood 
Uncas; very stately and dignified, with 
arms crossed and grasping in both hands his 
mantle, on which were bars of green, symbol¬ 
izing the leaves, and small geometric designs 
of porcupine quills, dyed yellow, to represent 





120 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the corn plume. Inside the entrance, stood the 
Shaman to guard the sacred stalks as they were 
carried in and placed before the altar. The 
words of his chant were known only to the 
priesthood, because they were drowned by the 
voices of the people in the square chanting: 

“Mundowi Wiwatcaman, Mundowi, 
Mundowi Wiwatcaman,^ 
until the ceremonials were ended. 

On the third day the ceremonial dances were 
given by members of the different clans, some¬ 
times by women alone or by groups of men. 
If both took part in the same dance, the women 
moved in a circle in one direction, while the 
braves, in a larger outer circle danced in the 
opposite direction. Each clan had its own songs 
and postures which were never copied by the 
others, as they were symbolic of their own 
rites, and were not understood by all. 

The fasts and rituals over, the fourth day 
was devoted to the great feast. First came the 
ceremonial roasting of the corn over a fire in 
a long pit, the ears supported on poles across 
the top. Roasted in this manner the ears were 
distributed and when they had been eaten in 
a reverent spirit, the great feast followed in 
which corn held a conspicuous place. Scraped 




THE CORN FEAST 


121 


from the cob and boiled with beans, it was 
served in the favorite form of suktac (succo¬ 
tash). Birch bark trays were heaped with meal 
cakes, baked in the ashes and wooden bowls 
containing yokeg, were placed before the 
groups. Wooden platters piled with roasted 
clams alternated with those on which bluefish 
were placed. 

With true gratitude the women threw the 
sacrificial offerings into the fire and the Sun- 
jum gave the usual thanks before and after the 
feast. 






As soon as the Corn Feast was over, the 
women worked early and late, gathering the 
wild grapes — transparent with juice and 
purple as evening shadows—picking the beans 
from the vines, or bringing the pumpkins and 
squashes and piling them near the caches 
where they were to be stored. 

Red rose the Harvest Moon, turning the 
bend of the river into a rosy-colored pool and 
vying with the brilliancy of Father Sun as he 
closed his curtains. Then came the plucking 
of the corn and the carrying of the ears in hand 
baskets to empty into the large ones of bark, 
in readiness for husking. 

Late each day when the Moon appeared be¬ 
fore the Sun had drawn the curtains of dark¬ 
ness, all went to the corn fields; as usual the 
labor was lightened by song, with sometimes 
a new stanza added to those that had come 
down by tradition; and all husked in unison 


122 








THE HARVEST 


123 


with the rhythm, throwing the ears in piles on 
rush mats. Even the warriors stood about to 
join in the laughter and merriment, or assisted 
about the husking. 

These were happy twilights for the girls, for 
the young scouts, released from duty, joined 
in the husking frolics, and many a wooing was 
begun under the witchery of the Harvest Moon. 
Although the girls were closely guarded by 
their grandmothers, there was chance for whis¬ 
pered words of love. Without fear of dis¬ 
pleasure, the young brave could sit by the 
maiden of his fancy, watching admiringly as 
she deftly husked the ears and threw them on 
the mat, and whisper pretty compliments; the 
words glowing with ardor and imagery were 
enhanced by the romantic glamour of the 
moonlight. 

There was little opportunity for a brave to 
woo a girl for he could not visit her, as any 
errand to the wigwam must be made with the 
object of seeing her father or brothers. Rela¬ 
tives arranged a marriage with the consent of 
the Sunjum, and it was not always as pleasing 
to a girl as if custom had permitted the young 
people to make their own choice. 

Tantaquidgeon often lingered at the side of 



124 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Little Bird but, not wishing to presume on ac¬ 
count of lack of honors, never remained long 
after Puppompogs joined them. As she mis¬ 
understood his reluctance, she welcomed the 
older brave with greater cordiality than she 
really felt, and Tantaquidgeon, hiding the 
sting with gay repartee among another 
group, could not know of her brief replies to 
the conversation of his rival. 

One evening as a husking chant was finished 
Tantaquidgeon remarked, “I have heard that 
far south in the lands where it is always sum¬ 
mer, there is a bird which sings during the 
sleeptime, whose song is sweeter than any 
that we hear at dawn; for a moment I thought 
that bird must have perched on your shoulder 
and mingled its notes with your voice.” 

As Little Bird, with eyes alight, turned to 
make some appreciative response, a deep voice 
above them said sarcastically, “As usual the 
flattering youth is pouring honeyed words into 
some listening ear!” 

With a disgusted ejaculation, although 
muffled, Tantaquidgeon arose and stalked 
away; but his displeasure would have been 
lightened had he known of the coldness with 
which any compliments of Puppompogs were 



THE HARVEST 


125 


received. No one noticed how Little Bird, with 
head bent low apparently intent upon her 
husking, concealed the troubled expression in 
her eyes when the altogether too willing Morn¬ 
ing Glory chanced to entice him to her side. 

Pigeon Wing, with Humming Bird and other 
little friends playing at hide and seek, dodged 
about among the huskers, hiding between 
groups of complacent friends or behind 
the piles of corn. Crow Feather and the 
boys pretended to be lurking foes, finding con¬ 
venient shelter behind the rows of corn stalks 
and springing out with wild whoops to frighten 
their little sisters. 

Sometimes they varied their play with a 
game of Follow My Leader, when they danced 
in a sinuous line between the hills of corn; the 
snapping of stalks and crackle and rustle of 
the yellowed leaves made the play doubly 
amusing. Red Squirrel and his friends of 
eleven or twelve winters who were supposed to 
help in the husking found frequent opportunity 
when their mothers were not looking to slip 
behind the sheltering rows of stalks and en¬ 
gage in games, or torment their little brothers, 
by spoiling their play. 

Each night when the work had been finished, 



126 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the piles of ears, which had been thrown on 
the mats, were covered carefully by more rush 
mats to protect them from the dew until the 
next morning, when the women would spread 
them out to dry in the sunshine.. 

Before the moon sank behind the westward 
hills they left the fields and sauntered back to 
their wigwams, partly on account of the possi¬ 
bility of attacks from wild beasts or lurking 
foes, but also because of the dread of what 
might be hidden under cover of the darkness. 
No one wished, at the end of the evening frolic 
to have the Jibai (or ghosts), appear making 
terrifying noises or to see the lights of the 
Gackatcang (or Will-o’-the~Wisp), dancing 
about them from rock to rock. So each sleep¬ 
time, before the Harvest Moon had finished the 
sky trail journey, the curtain of each wigwam 
was closed against the supernatural powers. 





Hunting the Deer 


XIV. 



A purple haze hung over the distant hills 
and the leaves, touched by light frosts, 
gleamed golden, scarlet and russet. The Hunt¬ 
ing Moon had hung her crescent in the sky and 
tipped it so a hunting pouch could not be hung 
upon the lower end; this was a sign of a dry 
moon and good weather for hunting. 

All through the spring and summer the 
hunters had been observing the haunts of the 
deer and the dens of the bears, and during the 
late summer had prepared their traps and 
hunting implements. Now while waiting for 
larger game, enough wild turkeys, duck and 
partridges were captured for their daily needs. 

As soon as the crops had been harvested the 
women began to embroider new hunting 
charms to replace those that had become too 
weakened for the carrying of large game. On 
the day before the first large hunt, Jeets Bodan- 
sha sat near the entrance of the wigwam to take 


127 









128 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


advantage of the last gleam of the fast fading 
light. Holding on her lap a long, narrow strip 
of moose hide, she was engaged in making de¬ 
signs on the broadened center, for a carrying 
strap. 

As Red Squirrel entered she remarked, 
“Your hunting charm is almost done.” 

He squatted beside her to see the designs; 
at each end, trees were represented and be¬ 
tween them the figure of a youth following a 
trail. Other symbols in blue, red and yellow 
were embroidered with quills and smaller ones 
in colored hemp. 

“What are those, Nannang?” he inquired. 

“The quills represent the large game, bear, 
beaver or deer, and the hemp are for the small 
animals and birds.” 

“Which color is for deer?” 

“Nuc (your Father) will tell you the mean¬ 
ing of the symbols. When you have killed 
your game he will show you how to use the 
charm. When you are older and able to carry 
heavier animals you will have a long strap like 
this,” indicating a folded charm lying beside 
her on the mat. 

Red Squirrel reached for it, but she put out 
her hand to cover the design saying, “Namak- 



HUNTING THE DEER 


129 


kis, the hunting charm is partly a prayer for 
game and typifies the spirit that leads the 
hunter to it. No hunter allows another to see 
it, for it would bring bad luck and drive away 
the animals.” She added as an afterthought, 
“You must carry yours hidden in your hunting 
pouch.” 

With the first dawning light the camp was 
astir. Some, whose hunting claims were too far 
away from home to return easily with their 
game, took their families with them even into 
the wildest places, where the women built the 
hunting lodges close to some stream or pond 
for greater convenience in washing the skins. 
There was great confusion as the women rolled 
the rush mats, packed a few necessary utensils 
and parched corn for their stay of two moons. 

Breakfast eaten, other hunters united by 
clan or blood, gathered in groups to build the 
hunting fire and observe the rituals; when the 
first rays of the Sun parted the curtains of night 
they were ready to start. 

As he walked between his father and Black 
Bear, his sister’s husband, Red Squirrel could 
not conceal his excitement as with rapid strides 
they penetrated farther into the forest. At 
times his father called his attention to some 




130 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


rock or tree that would serve as a guide when 
they turned homeward, or pointed out a cave 
that probably sheltered a bear. 

At length someone spied a herd of deer graz¬ 
ing and gave a silent signal. The foremost 
hunters separated, going in opposite directions 
with stealthy steps. Each lighting fires between 
himself and the nearest hunter, they formed 
a huge circle surrounding the herd. With hor¬ 
rible yells and brandishing their bows they 
prevented the frightened deer from escaping 
between the fires, until blinded by smoke, the 
graceful animals became an easy mark for 
their arrows. 

In his excitement Red Squirrel shot several 
arrows wide of the mark, but great was his re¬ 
joicing when a young deer was found with his 
arrow imbedded in a vital spot. Occum in¬ 
structed his son in the ceremonials before leav¬ 
ing him to perform the rites alone. While his 
father had gone to find the game indicated by 
his own arrows, Red Squirrel placed the hunt¬ 
ing charm across his head with the ends falling 
over his shoulders and, singing, danced around 
the animal expressing his joy at success. He 
then placed it about the neck of the fallen deer 
as a recompense to its spirit because he had 



The Deer Were Easy Marks for Their Arrows 





















































132 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


been obliged to take its life. Then finding that 
the fawn was not too heavy for him to lift 
alone, he knotted the strap about it, adjusted 
the game on his shoulders and started eastward 
to join his father somewhere on the homeward 
trail. 

During the hunting season the women were 
very busy, for to them fell the task of skinning 
the animals, dressing the meat and tanning the 
skins. It required a knowledge of the cere¬ 
monials, for certain portions of the meat were 
reserved for sacrifice and other parts were 
taboo. Nearly every part of the game was 
used in some way, so Jeets Bodansha showed 
Little Bird how to remove the tendons care¬ 
fully and how they should be stretched, for 
after drying, the sinews were divided to be 
used for sewing the clothing. All the meat 
which could not be eaten fresh was cut in 
strips and hung up for drying, either in the sun 
or suspended from poles over a camp fire. 

The important task of preparing the skins 
was done near the water; so on the bank the 
drying frames were made by driving two sap¬ 
lings into the ground, six or seven feet apart 
for the largest skins, with two horizontal poles 
lashed between to form an oblong. Many 



HUNTING THE DEER 


133 



The Hides Were First Laid on the Ground and Scraped 


smaller frames were used for the beaver and 
other small game. 

First of all the hides were laid on the ground, 
and scraped by implements made of long 
bones, to remove all the bits of flesh. All the 
little girls had tiny fleshers among their play¬ 
things so, while her mother and sisters worked 
on the larger portions of the deer skins, Pigeon 
Wing knelt on the ground and scraped on the 
uneven outer edges. When the skins were to 
be dressed on both sides, for clothing, they 









134 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


were turned over and staked out with wooden 
pegs to hold them firmly while the hair was 
scraped off. When the hides were cleaned they 
were covered with a tanning mixture of liver, 
brains, grease, and saproot boiled together. 
This preparation was thoroughly washed out 
by putting the skins in the stream to soak. 

Two or three days later Bright Moon and 
Little Bird assisted their mother in squeezing 
out the water by twisting the skins like ropes, 
then lacing them into the crude frames to 
stretch them as they dried. After the skins 
were stretched all the moisture was pressed 
out with larger scrapers; then they were left 
until perfectly dry, while more skins were pre¬ 
pared. When a dry skin was removed from the 
frame Bright Moon helped her mother in soft¬ 
ening it, each taking an end and drawing it 
back and forth around a tree trunk. To prevent 
injury and shrinking when soaked by rain, the 
dried skins were smoked for several hours 
over a fire, but before being made into gar¬ 
ments they were cleaned and whitened by re¬ 
peated rubbings with white clay. 

The labor was lightened with song, and 
gossip and jokes caused occasional merriment. 
While it was no easy task to prepare all the 



HUNTING THE DEER 


135 


skins necessary for the clothing of a family 
and covering for beds, the women were very 
skilful and the one who could prepare the soft¬ 
est and whitest skins was very proud of her ac¬ 
complishments. As this knowledge was a nec¬ 
essary part of their education, Little Bird, 
White Flower and the other girls approaching 
marriageable age, vied with each other in per¬ 
fecting their skill. 

As the season advanced more game was 
brought in each day so the women were busy 
early and late, cutting the meat for drying, and 
dressing the skins, but working thankfully be¬ 
cause an ample supply of food and clothing 
were needed. Besides the necessary coverings 
and clothing many hides were used for mocca¬ 
sins, for only five pairs could be cut from a 
skin. During the hunting season, or at other 
times when traveling over the trails, a brave 
often wore out two pairs every moon, so from 
twenty to twenty-five pairs were needed by 
each man during a year. 








When the second moon of the hunting 
season showed the signs of fair weather, Oc- 
cum decided to take his family to a distant 
part of his claim where beavers were to be 
found in large numbers. 

As the place was a lonely one, it was decided 
that Bright Moon and her baby would remain 
at home, with Pigeon Wing left in her care; 
one morning two of their largest canoes were 
chosen and one loaded with the necessary 
mats, provisions, weapons and dogs. Black 
Bear was in charge of this and Crow Feather 
begged to go with his brother-in-law, so Oc- 
cum and his wife with Red Squirrel and Little 
Bird followed in the other. 

It was a crisp, bright morning and the foliage 
lining the river banks was in its full autumnal 
glory, the vivid scarlet of the maples sharply 
contrasted against the yellowing chestnuts 
or dark greens of the pines. The dark reds of 
the oaks high on the hillsides had their shades 


136 







TRAPPING THE BEAVER 


137 


duplicated in the blackberry vines and bushes 
lining the edges of the banks. 

The tide from the Little Salt Sea was felt 
in the river and this morning helped to carry 
them up-stream, and it was not long before the 
turn was made into the narrower Showtuck 
and the canoe glided under the shadow of the 
hill. When they neared the junction with the 
Quinebaug, Crow Feather turned his head to 
shout, “Mother! Sister! Look! There is where 
we came to drive the fish!” 

A sharp turn to the left was made as they 
continued on their course a short distance to 
the ford, where a group of scouts, who had run 
from their places of concealment, had gathered 
on the bank. Black Bear and Occum halted 
their canoes; following a few words of greet¬ 
ing to the younger brave in the first, Tanta- 
quidgeon came to Occum for the purpose of 
knowing where to carry warning in case of a 
surprise from their enemies. When the loca¬ 
tion of the hunting camp had been described, 
Tantaquidgeon remarked, with a brief, yet 
eloquent glance at Little Bird, “Before you 
leave, I would like to see such a number of 
huts, as you say the animals have made on 
Beaver Brook.” 




138 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“Yes, come up to the wigwam and I will take 
you through the forest to the trapping place,” 
cordially responded Occum. 

The broad paddles dipped and on they 
glided, penetrating between higher banks with 
all the autumnal colors reflected in the depths 
of the water; an occasional island divided the 
stream, making the scene more picturesque. 

When their destination was reached, mother 
and children were busily engaged in cleaning 
the leaves and debris which had collected 
within the space enclosed by the wigwam 
poles, which were left standing from previous 
hunting or fishing trips. Then the mats were 
unrolled and the framework covered, before 
the provisions and skins for bedding were 
carried in. While near the river, the wigwam 
in a grove of pines was entirely hidden by the 
growth of low, young trees, and the canoes 
were concealed in the small inlet. 

The men had been arranging their traps in 
readiness for an early start the next day, and 
by the time the evening meal had been pre¬ 
pared, the Sun’s brief journey ended and he 
had drawn his curtains; the crescent moon, far 
down on the sky trail, brought an early sleep¬ 
time. Lying down in the rude shelter, they 




TRAPPING THE BEAVER 


139 


drew the skin coverings about them and, lulled 
by the murmur of the pines and the lapping of 
the water, were soon wrapped in slumber. 

Early the next morning Red Squirrel and 
Crow Feather accompanied the men as they 
started out with their traps for the walk 
through the forest to the beaver dams; and 
with only the old dog and Crow Feather’s 
puppy for protection, Jeets Bodansha and 
Little Bird were left alone while they built the 
drying frames in readiness for stretching the 
skins. 

Occum led the way to a turn in the brook 
where the banks were lined on both sides with 
graceful willows; here the beavers had con¬ 
structed a curved dam, which remained from 
previous years, so young willows and birches 
had sprung up in the center forming a hedge 
partially concealing the dwellings and making 
a picturesque foreground. 

While Occum and Black Bear were setting 
the traps the boys crawled about exploring the 
huts, and discovering the entrances all con¬ 
cealed under water. Red Squirrel pointed out 
the double exits for each dwelling, one toward 
the land and the other toward the water, mak¬ 
ing escape always possible. 




140 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“Nuc! How long does it take the beavers 
to build their wigwams?” called Crow Feather. 

“They can build a dam during one sleep¬ 
time,” answered his father, “because early in 
the summer they fell the wood for their new 
huts. Then they wait until the end of the Hot 
Suns before constructing them.” 

“How can a beaver fell trees?” 

“The older beavers sit on their hind legs and 
work in turns, cutting all around a tree and 
gnawing deeper on one side to make it fall.” 

“Nuc,” queried Red Squirrel, “how do the 
beavers carry the trees? You have told me 
that they carry mud and stones on their front 
legs, but those trunks would be too heavy.” 

“They push the tree trunks with their bodies, 
sometimes grasping them with their strong 
teeth to guide them. When the right kind of 
wood is too far from the water, they build 
canals across the level ground, making them 
deep enough to float the trunks. The smaller 
saplings they carry in their teeth, but someone 
told me of having seen a beaver with a branch 
under one fore leg and hopping on the other 
three.” 

“He must have been comical,” laughed the 
older boy. 




TRAPPING THE BEAVER 


141 



Beaver 


“See how they have been repairing their 
dwellings with mud and stones,” continued 
their father. “That has been done since the 
frosts during the last moon, but the outer coat¬ 
ing will not be put on until severe weather, 
when the mud will freeze; then the most vio¬ 
lent spring freshets will not carry them away, 
for the beavers know how to join mud and tim¬ 
ber to make it strong.” 

“Does every beaver make its own wigwam?” 
questioned the younger boy. 

“No, all the beavers work together under an 
old beaver who has become master because of 
his strength. He punishes the lazy ones with 
a hard slap of his flat tail.” He added, “But 




142 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


each family provides its own food and some¬ 
times two families live in the same hut.” 

“What do beavers eat?” 

In the summer they eat berries and the leaves 
of one or two plants, but they mostly live upon 
birch, poplar and willow bark.” 

Black Bear had finished the traps and they 
started to return to the hunting wigwam, but 
keeping a sharp watch for game. The drum¬ 
ming of partridges was heard so the bows were 
bent and, as with a whirr the birds rose, a num¬ 
ber were pierced with the arrows of the skillful 
hunters and found their way into the bagenud 
(or hunting pouch). 

Every two or three days, the rounds were 
made and the game taken, but Occum was 
careful to impress upon his sons that the beav¬ 
ers must not be depleted and if an older one 
was found in a trap it was released. “Remem¬ 
ber, Sons,” he told them, “that our ancestors 
left this Beaver Brook well stocked for me and 
you, and you must take care that there are 
beaver for your sons and their children.” 

One day unusual good luck came, for Black 
Bear caught a beaver which had lost a lower 
incisor, so the upper one had grown to an ex¬ 
treme length. He was delighted at the find, for 




TRAPPING THE BEAVER 


143 


the deep yellow enamel was so hard that the 
tooth fastened into a wooden handle, could 
be used as an implement for carving bone. 

When Jeets Bodansha dressed the beaver, 
she instructed Little Bird who was assisting 
her, remarking as she cut it with her flint knife, 
“This part is reserved for sacrifice,” or “This 
portion is for the Sunjum.” As her knife pene¬ 
trated into the vitals she added, “That is ‘ta¬ 
boo’ ; no one may eat of that, for it is unclean.” 

As the hungry dogs came running, she 
hastily snatched the bones that had been laid 
to one side and placed them out of their greedy 
reach. “Remember, Daughter,” she cautioned, 
“it would offend the spirit of the beaver if the 
dogs should be permitted to gnaw his bones, or 
if we were careless and let them fall into the 
fire.” 

Traps for deer were set and for bear, which 
were considered especially well flavored at the 
time when they had been feeding upon acorns. 
One day a bear was discovered in the trap. As 
it was “taboo” for Black Bear to kill an animal 
whose name he bore (and which presumably, 
had been his “medicine”) Occum was obliged 
to kill and handle it alone. After performing 
the ritual of the hunting charm, he called his 



144 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


boys to watch while he made the necessary in¬ 
cisions for removing the skin. As the animal 
was too heavy for him to carry alone, he cut 
out the choice portions, carefully removing all 
the fat about the spine, which was considered 
a great delicacy by the children. 

During their stay in the wilderness, the sec¬ 
ond Hunting Moon had grown from the silver 
crescent at the time of their coming; it had be¬ 
come round and full and now had waned, 
showing on the sky trail late in the sleeptime. 
The sharp frosts had killed the leaves, which 
had fallen and, driven by the autumnal blasts, 
rustled mournfully on the ground. One morn¬ 
ing a thin coating of ice edged the river, so 
Occum decided to leave the insecure hunting 
wigwam and Jeets Bodansha, assisted by the 
children, removed the temporary coverings, 
rolled the mats and loaded the canoes with the 
precious store of skins, while Occum and 
Black Bear made a final round to collect the 
traps. 

As the paddles dipped, Jeets Bodansha, who 
was huddled among the furs to keep warm, re¬ 
marked, “I feel thankful to leave this lonely 
spot and return to our warm wigwam and the 
companionship of our friends.” 



TRAPPING THE BEAVER 


145 


“It is time,” answered Occum, as they 
turned down stream, for the raw, east wind 
made the children shiver. 

When they approached the ford, Tantaquid- 
geon, with eyes alight, came to greet them. 

“You did not come to see the beaver dam,” 
called Occum. 

“No, I could not leave. One scout was or¬ 
dered home.” Looking at Little Bird, he 
added, “I was disappointed.” 

“You can see it next year,” responded Oc¬ 
cum, unconscious that the final sentence did 
not refer to the beaver dwellings. 

“You will be home soon,” he continued, “for 
Old Man Winter is on his way.” After a glance 
at the leaden sky, he added as he raised his 
paddle, “Soon he will bring the Great White¬ 
ness.” 





It was the season of the Great Whiteness 
and the earth was covered with a deep, white 
mantle. The gaunt branches of the oaks and 
chestnuts of the primeval forest were outlined 
with flakes of snow, softly piled until they 
could hold no more; while the pines and hem¬ 
locks were heavily laden with great tufts of 
downy white caught between the green needles 
or stiff foliage. 

Between the wooded banks a glistening 
white ribbon curved in and out showing where, 
under the icy surface, the Great River flowed 
silently toward the sea. Scattered among the 
trees on the western bank, the arbor shaped 
wigwams appeared like dots in the whiteness 
of the clearing; their plaited mat or bark cov¬ 
erings concealed with a heavy powdering of 
snow, except about the top where the heat 
and the smoke from the hearth fires curled 
from the openings. 


146 









MOON OF THE SNOW SHOES 


147 



Arrow Head 


Inside the wigwams all was snug and warm, 
and an atmosphere of peace pervaded the 
camp. No warfare was to be feared for the 
present, because they were too far from their 
enemies for hostile raids at unseasonable 
times. For three moons there would be little 
hunting until the great moose and bear hunts 
of the early spring. At favorable periods a 
hunter might follow a rabbit, traced by its 
tracks in the snow, or occasional fishing expe¬ 
ditions would be arranged for spearing pick¬ 
erel through the ice. 

In the cheerful light of the hearth fires the 
braves busied themselves making new bows 
and arrows, tomahawks and flint axes, grind¬ 
ing wampum or carving the wooden mortars 
and bowls. Many gloomy days were whiled 
away when several would gather in the wig¬ 
wam of some crony and relate stories; the old 
men re-living their youthful days as they re¬ 
called their experiences during the rebellions 



148 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


against Sassacus, or the later great war with 
the Pequots. The young men frequently joined 
them, desiring to let no crafty methods of war¬ 
fare escape their knowledge. Gambling, al¬ 
ways a favorite diversion, frequently ended 
the gatherings. Hubbub and other games with 
bowls or baskets of dice were the most popu¬ 
lar, but some even bet on the number of straws, 
as they adapted the game of Pu-in for indoor 
play, seating themselves around a blanket. 

Often a player would gamble away most of 
his belongings, his wampum, his weapons and 
even his clothing. Sometimes an irate wife, 
exasperated to the limit of her endurance, as 
she saw the precious skins on which she had 
expended so much labor, one by one piled be¬ 
side a player more lucky than her husband, 
would turn the inveterate gamblers from her 
wigwam with scathing words. There were tra¬ 
ditions of gamblers who had staked and lost 
even the skirts belonging to their wives; but 
all denied than anyone in Mohiks had so 
lost his sense of honor; however, there was a 
law that no one could gamble away his wife's 
tunic, or garment, over which the bitkaz 
(skirt) was worn. 

The women devoted the long freezing-time 



MOON OF THE SNOW SHOES 


149 


to fashioning new garments, ornamenting 
them with borders of shells or with fringes cut 
with a clam shell. They embroidered intricate 
patterns with dyed quills or wampum beads, 
not only on dresses, but on bags, leggins and 
moccasins. Alternating with the finer work 
was the weaving of the many baskets and 
painting designs on the smaller ones. While 
there was little opportunity for idleness they, 
too, visited the wigwams of their friends, and 
sometimes work was laid aside and the rattling 
of the painted beavers’ teeth in the wooden 
bowl might have been heard had a passer-by 
chanced to listen at the rush curtain. The dice 
games were popular but gambling was not a 
necessary part of them. 

After frolicking in the snow the long twi¬ 
lights were the delight of the children, for this 
was the season of story telling when the birds 
had flown southward and the butterflies had 
gone to sleep, so there was no one to carry the 
tales; these were forbidden in the summer be¬ 
cause the bees, the squirrels and the people 
would stop their work to listen and no food 
would be provided for the winter. 

Now there could be no famine, for the bees 
had stored their honey in the hollows of the 




150 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


trees and the squirrels had gathered their 
supply of nuts. Crow Feather and Pigeon 
Wing listened eagerly to the many legends of 
the Little People of the woods; of how Glus- 
kap, the Creator, transformed the animals and 
birds or slew the giants; or to the amusing stor¬ 
ies of how Tca-na-mid,* the trickster, out¬ 
witted his opponents. 

As fascinating as the legends were the 
stories of the real life of the animals, for all 
their habits were known to the hunters, who 
passed on the knowledge to their sons. Occum 
was wise in the lore of the woods and knew 
all the voices of nature; the call of every bird 
had for him a meaning; weatherwise, he 
prophesied concerning the phases of the moon, 
the signs in the clouds and the direction of the 
wind. 

After the evening meal as each family 
grouped around the hearth, the children lis¬ 
tened to the stories and lore which were a nec¬ 
essary part of their education fitting them for 
their life in the wilderness. 

One evening, not long after their return from 
the hunting trip, Crow Feather said, “Nuc, 
please tell us a story about the beavers.” 

Occum waited a brief time, thinking, then 


(Tc, pronounced like Ch.) 





MOON OF THE SNOW SHOES 


151 


began, “Among some of the people, who live 
nearer the wigwam of Old Winter, they tell 
how the beaver changed his tail. They say that 
the beaver had a long, narrow tail. He liked 
to dive, but his tail was not heavy enough to 
help him. One day he met a muskrat. His tail 
was short and broad; it held him back when 
he was swimming. The beaver said, ‘I like your 
tail better than mine. You could swim better 
with mine. How would you like to change?’ 
The muskrat thought he would like that, so he 
agreed, and each took the other’s tail. Once 
the muskrat wanted his own tail back and 
asked the beaver to change, but he refused. 
Ever since, beavers have had broad, flat tails 
and the muskrats have long, narrow ones.” 

“What made the muskrat want his old tail 
again?” queried Crow Feather. 

“I don’t know,” his father replied, “but it 
shows that animals and people ought to be sat¬ 
isfied with things.” 

Occum filled his pipe and silently smoked 
while the children chattered about what would 
have happened, and how the animals might 
have lived, if they had not changed their tails. 
Finally, he inquired, “Did you know that these 
animals exchanged their haunts?” 



152 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“No,” answered the boy, while Pigeon Wing 
added, “Please tell us.” 

“A long time ago, the muskrat used to live 
among the poplars and willows, where the 
beavers live now. The beaver used to live in 
the marshes and eat sweet flag. Each thought 
the haunt of the other better suited to him, so 
they changed. Ever since, the muskrat has 
lived in the marshes and the beaver has built 
his hut in a stream among the trees.” 

During the Moon of the Snowshoes came 
the great, never-to-be-forgotten snow fall. 
Early in the morning the feathery, white flakes 
began to fall upon the white mantle that al¬ 
ready covered the earth, and fell steadily all 
the day. The wind scarcely seemed to breathe, 
so all during the sleeptime the flakes piled 
softly and evenly. 

When Occum opened the rush mat he faced 
a white bank with not a glimpse of the sky 
visible. The children shouted in glee and 
rushed for the shell shovels and soon had bur¬ 
rowed a covered trail to their sister’s wigwam. 
Through this they scampered back and forth 
delighted with the unusual frolic. They were 
followed by their elders, for only the parents 
remembered such an experience. Black Bear 



MOON OF THE SNOW SHOES 


153 


and Bright Moon, carrying the baby, came 
through the snow trail and found Occum look¬ 
ing over a bundle of Time Sticks. 

“Father - in - law,” inquired the younger 
brave, “how long since there was so much 
Gun?”(fallen snow). 

“I do not find the Stick notched for the great 
snows. It must be five and twenty freezing- 
times, at least. I will ask the Sunjum when we 
can reach his wigwam.” 

“It is fortunate that there was no Witun 
(wind) for the drifts would have been danger¬ 
ous.” 

“Yes.” There was a reminiscent tone as 
Occum continued, “when I was about the age 
of my youngest son I remember su jpo (snow 
falling) for three sleeptimes. It must have 
been as deep as this, perhaps deeper.” 

The weather was not cold and the rays from 
Father Sun caused the snow to disappear, suffi¬ 
ciently, after a few sleeptimes so the braves 
could go about on their snowshoes. The great 
Gun furnished a topic for many a conversation 
as the old men compared Time Sticks and re¬ 
lated tales of half-forgotten snow falls of 
moons long past. 




XVII. 

Moon of Difficulty 



r It was a wild day, gray and cheerless. When 
directly overhead, Father Sun was circled with 
a wampum belt so dark that only a dim light 
appeared, showing dully through the snow 
which, driven by gusts of wind, swirled around 
the clearing. Occasionally a stalwart figure 
closely wrapped in skins, ventured a short dis¬ 
tance to a neighboring wigwam, but most were 
content to remain shut inside, while without, 
the wind roared as if in baffled rage. 

Within the wigwams, all was warm; from 
time to time a strong blast bent inward the mat 
at the entrance, causing a crevice through 
which the fine flakes sifted in little whirls. 
Others, blown down through the smoke open¬ 
ing, dropped into the fire, hissing as they 
touched the glowing embers. 

A fierce blast broke a thong fastening of the 
entrance mat, and a swirl of snow flakes blew 
across the wigwam smiting Occum in the face. 


154 







MOON OF DIFFICULTY 


155 


Brushing them from his eyes, he exclaimed in 
an irritated tone to Jeets Bodansha as she 
passed him to refasten the mat, “The Omahas 
do well to call this ‘The Moon when the snow 
sifts into the tents;’ but instead of sifting, this 
storm seems to be trying to bury us.” 

Jeets Bodansha, sitting close to the fire to 
take advantage of its full blaze, was weaving a 
basket; Occum, on the other side of the hearth, 
selecting from a basket beside him a broken 
bit of round clam shell (quahaug) chipped 
out the purple center with a sharply pointed 
stone and began the first shaping of a wampum 
bead. 

Before him on the earth floor was a flat stone 
on which he laid the piece of shell, and holding 
a smaller stone laboriously rolled it until it 
was the size of a tiny twig. Crow Feather, sit¬ 
ting on a mat facing his father, watched the 
process while he fondled the ears of his puppy 
crouching beside him, with his drowsy head 
laid on his paws outstretched to the fire. 

When the shell was nearly the proper thick¬ 
ness, Occum cut it in short pieces and, taking 
it. in his left hand, held it against a very 
sharply pointed stone, which he used for a 
drill by rolling it on his thigh with his right 




156 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


hand. Patiently and carefully he worked until 
the hole had been drilled, when the bead was 
again polished between two stones. Except 
for an occasional remark of instruction there 
was silence in the wigwam, as all were intent 
upon their work. When at last the bead was 
completed, Occum glanced up and found that 
even the faint glimmer of light had disap¬ 
peared from the opening as the time had come 
for the clouded Sun to close his wigwam. 

Jeets Bodansha had prepared a venison 
stew, very appetizing for a cold, stormy night 
and supper eaten, Occum filled his carved tam- 
mank (pipe) made from a chestnut burl, and 
prepared for an evening of relaxation and 
story telling as the family gathered about the 
hearth. 

Before he decided upon the subject, Crow 
Feather, fearing serious instruction, pleaded, 
“Nuc, please tell us about the trickster.” Oc¬ 
cum smoked, thoughtfully choosing which of 
the many tales he would relate and finally be¬ 
gan: 

“As I have told you many times, Tca-namid 
was a trickster. He knew the ways of magic. 
He usually outwitted his opponents. One day 
he boasted of his strength. A man also boasted. 



MOON OF DIFFICULTY 


157 


Each time the man told what he could 
do, the trickster said, ‘Oh, I am stronger 
than that.’ Seeing that the man was 
about to leave, he said, ‘I am so strong 
that I can squeeze water out of a stone.’ 

‘You can’t do that,’ the man answered. 

‘If you can squeeze water from a stone, 

I can.” 

“Tca-namid went into the wigwam 
for an instant and came out with a small 
stone in his hand and climbed a tree; 
holding out his hand, he squeezed and 
a few drops of water fell to the ground. 

Then the man picked up a stone and 
climbing another tree began squeezing 
his stone. No water oozed from it. He 
pressed harder until the stone cut his 
hand, but still no water. So he came 
down. The people laughed and called 
out, ‘You brag! You pretend to be as 
strong as the trickster.’ ” 

“The trickster was stronger, wasn’t he?” 
questioned Crow Feather. 

“I am not so sure,” replied his father. “He 
deceived the people. It was not a stone. It was 
a lump of dough!” 

“Do you call that honest, Nuc?” queried Red 
Squirrel. 






158 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“No, Namakkis, but you see he was a trick¬ 
ster. He practiced magic. While he managed 
to deceive people, they always suspected there 
might be some trickery.” 

“It must be fun to be a trickster,” Crow 
Feather added. “When I grow up I want to 
be one.” 

“Namakkis,” in a stern voice threatened his 
father, “if I catch you practicing any such 
tricks, I will punish you so hard that you will 
not forget it, and never try it again! I wish 
you to grow up an honest brave. Remember, 
no cheating! Don’t try to copy a trickster.” 

Resolving that hereafter he would tell only 
stories of brave warriors or old legends of ani¬ 
mals and birds, he tapped the ashes from his 
pipe and after a few minutes said, “Children, 
it is time to go to bed.” 

Refilling his pipe, for a while Occum sat; 
resting comfortably with his back supported 
by his mantle drawn about his knees, until the 
crumbling fagots sent out a duller glow. Lost 
in drowsy contemplation, he had ceased smok¬ 
ing but rousing himself he knocked the gray 
refuse from his pipe and laid it carefully away. 
Jeets Bodansha laid aside the work that had 
been lying idly in her lap and safely covered 
the dull red brands with ashes. 



MOON OF DIFFICULTY 


159 


Soon all was quiet. Warmly wrapped in 
their skin robes the cold without was forgotten 
and in their dreams, the blustering of the storm 
and the crackling of the icy branches were 
softened by the imaginary stir of leaves, the 
rippling of streams or the gentle lapping of the 
paddles in quiet waters. 






XVIII. 
Old Legends 



The snows continued to fall, one storm fol¬ 
lowing another, making indoor life more of a 
necessity than usual. As the children grew 
restive from the confinement, story telling was 
not reserved for the period between the eve¬ 
ning meal and sleeptime, but became frequent 
during the time devoted to work and idleness. 

During one of the storms the boys were wan¬ 
dering aimlessly about the wigwam, somewhat 
inclined to bicker, having nothing else to do, 
and as Occum sat down to polish a bow of 
tulip wood, he commanded, “Boys, sit down 
and be quiet! I will tell you about Gluskap.” 

Never tired of the stories, mother and 
daughters also drew near to listen as they 
busied themselves with quill work on mocca¬ 
sins or leggins. 

“Gluskap was a transformer and hero. He 
lived long ago. Stories of him are told among 
the people who live near where Father Sun 


160 











OLD LEGENDS 


161 


comes forth from his wigwam. He lived with 
his grandmother, Woodchuck. She taught him 
how to hunt and fish. Then she showed him 
how to make a canoe. 

“One day he came home and found his 
grandmother having a hard time fishing. He 
thought, ‘I will help my grandmother,’ and 
built a weir across the river. He left an open¬ 
ing in the center so the fish could enter. Then 
he went to the sea and called to the fish telling 
them, ‘The ocean is going to dry up and you 
will die. Come to my river and you will live.’ 
So all kinds of fish came. When the weir was 
full, he closed the opening. Then he told his 
grandmother what he had done to help her. 
When Woodchuck saw what he had done, she 
told him how future descendants would suffer 
if she and Gluskap had all the fish they wished. 
She told him to turn them out. He opened the 
weir.” 

“Tell us more about him, Nuc,” begged Red 
Squirrel. 

“Wait until I smoke,” for Occum had begun 
to fill his pipe before the tale was finished. 

After a few whiffs the stories were resumed. 
“As moon followed moon, Gluskap became a 
great person. He conquered all his opponents. 




162 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


He defeated all the dangerous beasts. When 
he found anything that made work hard he 
changed it. When he found that the wind blew 
too much to hunt for duck, he made two long 
journeys to change it. He conquered the Wind 
Bird and made him promise to wave his wings 
only for a day or two and then rest a day, so 
there would not be a strong wind all the time. 

“Then he went on a long trip. He went out 
to transform things, so future descendants 
would not have such hard times. He took his 
canoe. He entered all the rivers flowing into 
the ocean, and lowered all the dangerous falls, 
to make them easier for the people. He con¬ 
quered all the magicians who brought evil to 
the people. 

“When he had been gone a long time, he 
went home to his grandmother. Woodchuck 
was glad to see him for it had been a hard win¬ 
ter. Many had starved to death. The snow had 
been deeper than it was here in the Moon of the 
Snowshoes. There, it was so deep that even 
the tree-tops were covered. When Gluskap 
saw how hard it had been, he said to his Grand¬ 
mother, ‘I am going to find Winter. Where is 
he?’ His grandmother told him that it was too 
far away and he would freeze, for no one could 
live there. 



OLD LEGENDS 


163 


“Gluskap had made up his mind to find Win¬ 
ter, so he told her to make him six pairs of 
very strong snowshoes. Then he traveled, and 
wore out one pair after another. The weather 
grew colder. While he was wearing the last 
pair he came to the wigwam of ice. He went 
in; the entrance closed; he could not get out. 
He spoke to Old Winter politely, as ‘Grand¬ 
father.’ The old man of ice mocked him, say¬ 
ing the same words. He asked him to let him 
out, but the old man still repeated his words. 
Then Gluskap froze to death. The old man 
threw him out. Gluskap lay there until spring. 
He woke up. The snow wigwam had melted. 
He started back home. He decided that some¬ 
time he would steal Summer for the people and 
overcome Old Man Winter.” 

Rising, Occum said as he looked up through 
the smoke opening, “The storm is over and I 
must go to see the Sunjum.” 

“Oh, Nuc,” begged Crow Feather, “will you 
tell us more about Gluskap before sleeptime?” 

“Perhaps if you are a good boy. You must go 
out of doors now.” 

The young people went out for a frolic. 
Some of their playmates, hearing the joyous 
shouts, joined them and Crow Feather pro- 




164 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


posed rolling a snow figure. When Occum re¬ 
turned for the evening meal he was confronted 
by the likeness of Old Man Winter, standing 
close to the entrance. 





The following morning as soon as Occum 
had settled himself for his after breakfast 
smoke, Crow Feather said, “Oh, Nuc, please 
tell a story about Gluskap. You promised to 
tell more last sleeptime.” 

Perhaps reminded of one by the filling of 
his pipe, he inquired, “Have you ever heard 
how Gluskap brought tobacco to all the 
people?” 

“No, I thought it .grew among the Podunks 
and on the other side of the Long River.” 

“It does; but the seeds were brought there 
from some other place.” 

A few more puffs and then he began, “Once, 
when Gluskap came home, Woodchuck told 
him they were out of tobacco. When he asked, 
‘Where does it grow?’ she told him that Grass¬ 
hopper raised it. She said, ‘He lives on a big 
island. It is far out in the water.’ Then she 
told him that Grasshopper was too stingy to 


165 








166 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


share it. Seeing that her grandson was think¬ 
ing about finding it, she told him that Grass¬ 
hopper was a dangerous magician. 

“Gluskap was not afraid. He built several 
canoes until he made a fast one that glided a 
long distance. When he pushed off he made a 
magic wish for Grasshopper to go away from 
home. When he reached the island, Grass¬ 
hopper had gone away, so Gluskap took all his 
tobacco, even from the fields. He put it in the 
canoe. He carried it to his grandmother. He 
told her there would be plenty, always. 

“Grasshopper came in his canoe. He called 
angrily, ‘You stole my tobacco!’ ‘Yes,’ an¬ 
swered Gluskap, ‘so my descendants will have 
some. You raise too much to use it.’ Then 
Grasshopper begged him to give him back 
some seeds, so he could raise what he needed. 
Gluskap refused, but told him that he would 
give him all he needed for his lifetime. He 
told Grasshopper to open his mouth and he 
put some in. Then he split his coat so Grass¬ 
hopper could fly away with his share of to¬ 
bacco. 

“Ever since a grasshopper has wings and al¬ 
ways carries his tobacco in his mouth. He 
chews, and spits about on the grass. You can 
see it wherever a grasshopper has been.” 



HOW TOBACCO CAME 


167 


“Where does he get more?” asked Crow 
Feather. 

“Gluskap must have made some magic, for 
it lasts. Grasshopper always has it.” 

The story finished, Occum rose and before 
he could invent some excuse for leaving the 
wigwam, Pigeon Wing pleaded, “Nuc, do tell 
another story.” 

“Only one more now. Do you know what 
makes the wrinkles on a turtle’s back?” 

“You have not told me since I was a little 
girl.” 

Her mother hid a smile, thinking that eight 
winters was not so very old. Occum then be¬ 
gan the narration of the turtle’s misfortunes. 

“Gluskap went with Turtle, his uncle, on a 
journey. They came to a village. They called 
at the wigwam of Auk, the Chief. They saw 
his three daughters and Turtle wanted to marry 
the youngest. He said, ‘Nephew, will you send 
marriage wampum for me?” Gluskap agreed, 
and it was accepted. They were married at 
once. The Turtle provided a great feast; the 
people danced and played games. When they 
had a jumping contest Gluskap said, ‘Uncle 
you jump too. Jump over Auk’s wigwam.’ The 
people were surprised for he out-jumped the 




168 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


young men. Turtle felt great pride. He said, 
‘I can do more.’ He started to jump again. 
Gluskap made a magic wish and Turtle caught 
in the poles of the wigwam. He fell on his 
back into the fire. Auk could hardly snatch 
his son-in-law out. His back was all dried and 
wrinkled. Every turtle’s back has been so, 
since that time.” 

Rising before anyone could speak, Occum 
said to Red Squirrel, “Come Namakkis, we 
must go into the forest and burn down a tree 
for a new canoe. It is a good time when there is 
plenty of snow to stop the fire.” 

The sky was clear and under the brilliant 
rays of Father Sun the snow-crust sparkled, 
dazzling the eyes with its radiance. As the en¬ 
trance mat was swung aside a rush of fresh, 
crisp air caused Little Bird to exclaim, “Nan- 
nang, I must go to see one of the girls! May I?” 

“Yes,” and as the children rushed for 
heavier mantles, Jeets Bodansha continued, 
“and while the children are playing outside, I 
will go and see if little grandson is well.” 

With the Sun gone, they gathered around the 
hearth fire with eagerness, for the keen air had 
given them a zest for food. All were hungry, 
but Crow Feather hurried, dipping his wooden 




HOW TOBACCO CAME 


169 


spoon into the steaming kettle time after time, 
until finally his mother remarked, “Namakkis, 
you remind me of the story of the trickster. ,, 

“Which one?” mumbled the boy, his mouth 
stuffed with venison stew. 

While waiting for her husband and sons to 
finish she related the tale of the Eating Match. 
“Tca-namid and another man bragged about 
which could eat the most. It was decided to 
hold a contest. The trickster went home and 
fastened a skin bag under his mantle. The time 
came for the contest; a big kettle of soup was 
placed between them. They began to eat. 
When the man had to give up, Tca-namid 
laughed and said, ‘Eat more! I am not full 
yet/ but the man was beaten. Soon the trick¬ 
ster stopped. He said, ‘Hand me a knife.’ He 
asked the man if he would do what he did. 
The man said, ‘Yes.’ Then the trickster stabbed 
at his stomach with the knife. The soup ran 
out. Everybody was astonished, but the trick¬ 
ster laughed for he had fooled the people. He 
had stabbed the bag. The man not knowing 
the trick stabbed his stomach. It killed him.” 

“I haven’t fooled anyone, Nannang,” said 
Crow Feather, not seeing how the story ap¬ 
plied to him. 




170 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“No, Namakkis, but you are eating as much 
as if you were filling your stomach and a bag, 
too.” 

Red Squirrel made a provoking grimace at 
his younger brother, but carefully concealed 
from his parents, which caused Crow Feather 
to redden with anger. Noting the chagrin 
which she thought was caused by her story, 
his mother said, “Eat all you need. Growing 
boys must have plenty of food.” 

Story telling for that day was over, for 
friends of Occum and his wife came and the 
evening was devoted to games, and dancing 
to the rhythm of the rattles. 






While Black Bear and Occum had taken the 
boys for a day of spearing pickerel through 
the ice, Jeets Bodansha with her daughters 
went to the wigwam of Bright Moon who was 
to assist Little Bird in painting a basket. 

To Pigeon Wing was assigned the duty of 
looking out for her mischievous nephew, now 
nearly fourteen moons old. Too lusty to be 
confined to his cradle board, except when ne¬ 
cessity demanded, constant attention was 
necessary to keep him from creeping into the 
fire or playing havoc with the housekeeping im¬ 
plements, for on more than one occasion he 
had thrown a wooden spoon or ladle into the 
fire. 

Jeets Bodansha had taken a partly finished 
manuda (or basket) with the bottom round, 
and the foundation splints of brown ash radi¬ 
ating from the center. Preparing the splints 
during the past season had been a laborious 


171 









172 _ THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 

process, for it was necessary to pound the en¬ 
tire log in order to separate the layers of wood. 
Then the splints were shaved smooth and cut 
the proper width with a hand gauge. As she 
wove them in and out, Pigeon Wing was con¬ 
stantly on the alert lest the baby should creep 
too near his grandmother and injure his eyes 
against a splint, for he was attracted by the 
bright red and blue ones that she was using 
as fillers to form a decorative border about the 
top. 

On the other side of the hearth, her daugh¬ 
ters were preparing to paint designs on their 
manudac (baskets), rectangular in shape and 
woven like checker-work, with the splints of 
equal width. Various designs were discussed 
and after a time Little Bird decided to paint a 
simple border about the top of her basket using 
a chain-like line of black, edged on each side 
with alternating dots of blue and red. Her 
mother suggested the same border for the dia¬ 
mond-shaped space on one side to enclose the 
conventionalized flower design. There were 
several variations of these, more or less elab¬ 
orate, with one square of splint forming the 
center, or corolla, of the flower, surrounded by 
four petals and with four corner sprays rep- 





OCCUPATIONS OF THE GADON 


173 



Typical Basket Design of the Mohegans 

resenting the calyx. One favorite design was 
painted with triangular bars crossing the cen¬ 
ter splint and a line of fine dots outlining the 
petals. Little Bird chose this, the most elab¬ 
orate of all. 

“But Sister, this is so much work,” expostu¬ 
lated Bright Moon, “besides, there will be too 
much sameness, as all the borders have dotted 
lines.” 

After much persuasion the younger girl de¬ 
cided on the simple flower design with the cor¬ 
ner sprays suggested only by a single leaf. 

Bright Moon took from a case the crude 
brushes, made by fraying the end of a wood 
splinter, and placed beside her sister three 
small bowls of pigment. Attracted by the 
bright skwa yo (red) dye made from boiling 








174 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


down some wild cranberries, the baby crept 
swiftly over and, in his haste plunged his hand 
into the sugayo (or black pigment) made from 
huckleberries or skoke. When Pigeon Wing 
sprang to rescue him, he smeared his face, and 
all laughed as Jeets Bodansha remarked, “Our 
little papoose is trying to paint his face so he 
can go on the war trail.” 

Rescued from mischief and the surplus pig¬ 
ment wiped from his face, although a stain re¬ 
mained, he caught sight of the scalps hung 
from the sapling arching his father’s compart¬ 
ment and reaching up toward them, screamed 
lustily. The “No, no,” of his little aunt aroused 
his baby wrath and Bright Moon was obliged 
to quiet him before continuing with her work. 
Then she placed him in the arms of Pigeon 
Wing, who swayed her little body forward and 
back, softly crooning the lullaby that she was 
accustomed to sing to her wooden doll. The 
sleepy eyes closed and the mischievous baby 
was asleep, so his grandmother left her basket 
weaving to lay him on the bed. 

Tired little Pigeon Wing, curling up close to 
the fire, pleaded, “Nannang, please tell me a 
story.” 

“What kind of a story, little Natanis?” 



OCCUPATIONS OF THE GADON 


1.75 


“Oh, about the fairies, or the river elves, or 
about when you were a little girl.” 

“I told you a fairy story yesterday. How 
would you like to hear about the dwarfs?” 

“That would be nice,” with a long, pleased 
sigh. 

Little Bird interrupted a moment to say, 
“Sister, please move the zi wamba yo (indigo) 
nearer.” 

While Bright Moon diligently continued 
painting the four corners, from the rim to the 
bottom, of her basket, with geometric designs 
of alternating red and indigo, Jeets Bodansha, 
deftly weaving the colored splints began: 

“Many, many moons ago, when I was a little 
girl like you, I was in a canoe on the river with 
my father and mother. We were near the pine 
woods on the eastern bank, yonder,” nodding 
toward the northeast. “Running about be¬ 
tween the trees, I saw such strange little peo¬ 
ple. ‘Mother! Look!’ I cried. 

‘“No, no!’ she said after a glance. ‘Those 
are Makia wisag (dwarfs) who live in the 
woods. Don’t look at them! They will point 
their fingers at you. Then you cannot see them.’ 
Then my mother continued, ‘If a Makkis 
(dwarf) should ever come to the wigwam and 




176 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


beg you for food, you must give it to him or he 
will be angry and point his fingers at you and 
you cannot see the naughty things he might 
do.’ ” 

“What naughty things?” inquired Pigeon 
Wing. 

“I don’t know. Perhaps steal something, or 
break a clay kettle or spoil a nice skin.” 

After a thoughtful silence, Jeets Bodansha 
asked, “Do you remember the pictures and 
markings on the rocks around the fort above 
the trail?” 

“Yes, Nannang.” 

“The Little People made them.” 

“When did they make them.” 

“I don’t know, child. No one can remem¬ 
ber.” 

The baby, waking, began to coo, which 
aroused them to the passing of time. The young 
matron laid aside her brush to prepare the 
evening meal. Jeets Bodansha, rising, held 
out her hand saying, “Come little Natanis, we 
must go now and have the wigwam warm and 
a hot supper ready for Nuc.” 





During the last moon of the Great White¬ 
ness, when the warmer winds began to melt 
the white mantle that covered the earth, great 
hunts for moose and bear took place. 

In preparation for the great event, as the 
family gathered around the hearthfire follow¬ 
ing the evening meal, Occum, as he filled his 
clay pipe, remarked to Red Squirrel, “Namak- 
kis, you are to take part in the hunt for awaus- 
seus (the bear) so I will tell you more about 
him.” 

Crow Feather stopped playing with his 
puppy and came closer to listen; Pigeon Wing, 
tightly clasping her wooden papoose, raised 
her serious little face in attention; while Jeets 
Bodansha and Little Bird, who were engaged 
in making gungawantc (leggins) moved 
nearer. 

After a few puffs, while they settled them¬ 
selves to listen, he continued, “Know, Nam- 


177 









178 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


akkis that awausseus is the most esteemed and 
reverenced among all the animals. He stands 
like a man; he walks like a man and he uses 
his paws like hands. He knows so much, that 
among some peoples, it is thought so great an 
honor to kill a bear alone, that they say it is ‘as 
brave a deed as to slay an enemy/ I have heard 
that among the people who live nearer the wig¬ 
wam where Father Sun comes out, a bear is 
called grandfather or grandmother; others call 
him cousin.” 

He knocked the ashes from the carved pipe, 
refilled and lighted it and after puffing a few 
times, he continued: “Some say that bears un¬ 
derstand when men talk to them.” 

“How do the people know that, Nuc?” 

“The hunters who live in the frozen north, 
near the wigwam of Old Man Winter, go to the 
den and call, ‘Grandfather, come out!’ or 
some such words, for each tribe has its own 
form of speaking to him. The bear growls, so 
they know he understands. Some tribes, far in 
the northwest, call a bear bad names when he 
runs away, so he will get mad, like a man, and 
come back to fight; they feel sure that he un¬ 
derstands their words.” 

With awe-struck expressions, the children 




HUNTING LEGENDS 


179 


remained silent while he smoked in thoughtful 
contemplation. He added, “Instead of waiting 
until they use the hunting charm after his 
death, some far-away hunters tell a bear before 
they kill him, how sorry they are to take his 
life, but that they need food and clothing. 
Others ask him not to let the spirits of other 
bears be angry. Some tribes not so far away 
believe that bears understand. Nujanas (My 
Grandfather) told me that the Seneca hunters 
(who live not far beyond the country from 
which our ancestors came) also made a speech 
to the bear before killing him.” 

“What did the Seneca hunter say?” ques¬ 
tioned Red Squirrel. 

“Nujanas said that his ancestor was too far 
away to hear the words.” 

Thinking that enough of the mysterious side 
had been mentioned before Crow Feather and 
Pigeon Wing, the father turned with a loving 
smile saying, “Little ones, would you like to 
hear how a bear lives in the winter?” 

“Yes, Nuc,” exclaimed the children in uni¬ 
son, wriggling about to find more comfortable 
positions, and happy smiles dispelling the 
seriousness. 

“Nobody builds a nice wigwam, covered 



180 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


with mats, and a hearthfire in the center, for 
him. Each grown up bear hunts about and 
finds a warm cave in the rocks or a hollow 
where he buries himself under the snow, or he 
may hide in a hollow tree if he finds one large 
enough. There he lives alone during all the 
freezing-time, for he does not have to go out 
in search of food, because Gluskap, the Cre¬ 
ator, taught him to suck his paws for nourish¬ 
ment.” 

Seeing a questioning look on the face of Red 
Squirrel, his father inquired, “What is it, 
Son?” 

“How can he keep from being hungry?” 

“Some think that the froth on his paws is a 
juice, or the fat oozing out, for him to live on. 
Others say that his paws may be covered with 
honey which remained on them after he had 
robbed the bees, or a mixture of ants and their 
eggs which clung when he trampled upon the 
ant-hills. However,” he added decisively, “all 
the tribes know that awausseus sucks his 
paws.” 

Turning to the two younger children, he 
said, “Now run to bed; it is late.” 

“Oh, Nuc, do tell us about the little bears,” 
pleaded Pigeon Wing and Crow Feather in 
unison. 



HUNTING LEGENDS 


181 


“Not now, it is too late, except that if you 
were cubs your Mother would raise her black 
paw and give you a hard spanking, because 
you are not minding.” 

Their father’s tone was not severe, so laugh¬ 
ing at the thought of little cubs being spanked, 
the children obeyed. 

Jeets Bodansha and Little Bird laid away 
their work in a bark case. While the mother 
drew the fagots to the edge of the hearth and 
covered the glowing embers with ashes, Occum 
and Red Squirrel gave a final look to see that 
the needed hunting implements were ready. 
Then lying down on their crude beds, and 
warmly covered with furs, they were soon in 
the land of dreams. 





Then came the great day of the hunt. 

After observing the hunting rituals, the men 
started out on snowshoes. Armed with their 
stone axes for hunting the bear, some of the 
hunters also carried bows and arrows in case 
of moose crossing their trail. Red Squirrel had 
his quiver well filled with arrows and his hunt¬ 
ing charm hidden at the bottom of his game 
pouch. 

After the first light snow fall, the lairs in 
the caves and hollows had been located by 
hunters following the tracks, and now the 
places could be identified by the vapors arising 
about the openings. 

Moons earlier, a den had been discovered by 
Puppompogs and without turning aside at 
other signs, he went directly toward it. He re¬ 
moved his snowshoes. Advancing to the en¬ 
trance of the cave, while the other hunters of 
his group held back, he called to the bear to 
182 











WINTER HUNTING 


183 


arouse him; and, at the same time, throwing a 
stick inside to startle him awake. 

The bear did not respond. Puppompogs en¬ 
tered the den to drag out the beast, as it was 
considered unworthy to kill a bear when he 
was asleep. As he buried his fingers in the 
thick fur at the back of the neck and began to 
drag him, the bear was half wakened. Red 
Squirrel had crept in, following the hunter and 
stood watching, as the brave walked back¬ 
ward. When the entrance was reached, the 
glaring light of the bright sunshine on the snow 
fully roused the bear. Growling ferociously, 
he sprang on all fours, while Puppompogs 
jumped outside, raising his tomahawk. Red 
Squirrel followed swiftly but was hardly out 
of reach when the bear raised himself on his 
hind legs and, roused to fury, began striking 
viciously with his huge, clumsy paws, started 
toward him. Red Squirrel raised his bow, but 
his father shouted, “Run! Boy, run!” 

The other hunters had removed their snow- 
shoes and stood with battle axes poised, ready 
to rush to the defense of the hunter. Seeing the 
danger of the boy several started to protect 
him, and they danced about evading first one 
huge paw and then the other. 




184 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


The bear’s eyes reddened with madness, his 
teeth gleamed between the thick lips of his 
dripping muzzle, as baffled, he became more 
enraged. The apologies for attacking him, 
which might have been offered by all the com¬ 
bined tribes, would not have served to appease 
his outraged spirit! 

While the hunters distracted the attention 
of the bear, Puppompogs, seizing the oppor¬ 
tunity, aimed a blow at his head and stunned, 
the animal fell to the ground. Before he could 
recover, another powerful blow of the toma¬ 
hawk, square on the forehead, dispatched the 
beast. 

Red Squirrel withdrew with the braves, 
while Puppompogs placed tobacco in the 
mouth of the animal and performed the rites 
of the hunting charm as a recompense to the 
spirit of awausseus. When the others returned, 
they sat about the slain animal and ceremoni¬ 
ally smoked their pipes before assisting the 
captor in carrying home the heavy game. 

In accordance with custom, the braves 
dressed the bear; for the women were not al¬ 
lowed to perform their usual task, as with the 
lesser game. The hunters carefully observed 
all the taboos, which were more strict concern- 





The Bear Raised Himself on His Hind Legs and, 
Roused to Fury, Began Striking . . . 

185 
















186 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


ing the most respected of animals, both as to 
cooking and consuming the flesh. When all 
the meat had been eaten, proper respect was 
shown to the skull. Not even a fragment of 
bone was allowed to the hungry dogs, lest the 
outraged spirit should communicate with the 
spirits of other bears, and prevent future cap¬ 
tures. During the feast, Puppompogs received 
many congratulations; while admiring his dar¬ 
ing, Tantaquidgeon and many other younger 
braves were envious of his good fortune. 

On another day, while Black Bear and Red 
Squirrel were out with Occum in pursuit of 
game, they crossed the fresh tracks of a moose 
and turned aside to follow the trail. Speeding 
along swiftly on their snowshoes, they soon 
spied the moose feeding upon some low wil¬ 
lows at the edge of a swamp. The wind was 
blowing in their faces, carrying the scent of the 
hunters in the opposite direction, so the animal 
was unaware of their approach. As they 
started to bend their bows, he ambled leisurely 
along for a few paces and commenced to nib¬ 
ble when, sensing danger, he raised his head 
to listen and bounded forward! 

Sing! went the arrows, as it had been agreed 
that all should take aim. The arrows of both 




WINTER HUNTING 


187 



Occum Performed the Ceremonial of the Hunting Charm 


men penetrated vital spots, and that of Red 
Squirrel was a credit to the marksmanship of 
the youth. It showed the rigorous training of 
his parents, for, following the instructions of 
his father, each morning during his childhood 
his mother had tossed something into the air. 
Now he understood the reason why no break¬ 
fast was allowed until he had succeeded in 
hitting the falling target. 

Black Bear gave the credit of the game to 
his father-in-law, so he and Red Squirrel with- 




188 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


drew while Occum performed the ceremonial 
of the hunting charm. As the moose was too 
heavy to be carried, in preparation for remov¬ 
ing the hide, they rolled it on its back and 
pulled its head backward until its face lay on 
the ground. The boy then gave careful atten¬ 
tion while his father made the first incision at 
the lower end of the dewlap and ran the flint 
knife to the middle of the under lip. Again in¬ 
serting the knife at the starting point, he made 
a straight cut down the body. 

Probably tired from the exertion, as Occum 
had passed his prime, he turned to Black Bear 
saying, “Son-in-law, you may finish.” 

The younger brave then inserted his knife at 
the starting point and made a straight cut down 
the inside of each foreleg to the ankle and 
from the end of the body, down the inside of 
each hind leg. 

Turning to Occum he inquired, “Father, do 
you wish to finish? You have had more prac¬ 
tice.^ 

“No, you make clean cuts,” said Occum. 

Then Black Bear made a cut around the 
mouth, and up the nose to the base of the 
horns, so the hide could be removed in one 
piece. 



WINTER HUNTING 


189 


Turning to Red Squirrel, Occum remarked, 
“It requires skill to make such even lines. The 
most difficult is to follow the dewlap, and we 
hunters take pride in our dexterity; for it not 
only adds to the beauty of the skin, but it in¬ 
creases its value by much wampum, especially 
when it is to be used as a robe.” 

The game was divided, so each could carry a 
part, with Occum taking the foreparts which 
were to be given to Uncas, according to custom. 






XXIII. 

The Maple Sugar Dance 



Although some snow remained, nature was 
awakening from the long sleep of the freezing¬ 
time. The sap was commencing to flow and 
the season had come for the Maple Sugar 
Dance, or festival, to thank all the trees for 
their benefit to man and to invoke their protec¬ 
tion and good will for the coming year. 

On the day appointed by the Council, the 
earlier part was devoted to games, while the 
women were preparing the feast, but before 
Father Sun had traveled very far on his jour¬ 
ney the religious ceremonies took place. Near 
the foot of a large maple tree a fire had been 
kindled and the one chosen to be the speaker 
approached; sprinkling tobacco on the fire and 
first giving thanks to the Creator, he addressed 
the maple: 


“0, Great Mundu! 
We bring to you 
Our grateful thanks 
For the gift of trees. 


190 








THE MAPLE SUGAR DANCE 


191 


O, trees of the forest 
We bring to you 
This sacrifice. 

O, trees of the forest! 

We come to thank you 
For our protection. 

O, trees of the forest! 

We come to thank you 
For food and warmth. 

O, trees of the forest! 

We come to thank you 
For our canoes. 

O, then, great maple! 

We here beseech you 
To let the sweet waters 
Continue their flow.” 

Then followed the ritual dances, symboliz¬ 
ing the life of the trees and their gifts to man¬ 
kind ; and these closed the ceremonies, while 
Father Sun was round above. 

The remainder of the day was devoted to 
gaiety and to the lavish feast, at which were 
served great quantities of venison, the dried 
fish and lobsters, which cooked in water made 
appetizing food, the bread, made from ground 
chestnuts, the corn meal cakes filled with dried 
berries and other foods had been hoarded dur¬ 
ing the cold weather. 



192 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


The feast gave an opportunity for the young 
men to seek the maidens whom they fancied, 
and although under the watchful eyes of their 
elders, many a surreptitious word of love was 
conveyed under the gay banter in which all 
were participating. Tantaquidgeon edged his 
way from one group to another until he 
reached the side of Little Bird, but on several 
occasions he had no sooner begun conversa¬ 
tion with the attractive girl than Puppompogs, 
detaching himself from others, would cause an 
interruption of his pleasure, and, disheartened, 
the younger man would be obliged to hide his 
discomfort. 

Following the festival, while the men were 
engaged in the bear and moose hunts, the 
women tapped the trees and began to gather 
the sap for making the maple sugar. 

A year before, the men had girdled the 
trunks of trees suitable for canoes and, during 
the milder days of the late winter, had been 
engaged in roughly hollowing them by apply¬ 
ing fire to one side of the trunk. Then they 
were burned down and the charred wood 
scraped out and the interior smoothed and 
polished by rubbing with a stone dipped in 
water. Later the bow and stern were shaped 





Syrup was Poured Into a Kettle and the 
Boiling Began 


193 










194 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


by the same processes so the dugout would cut 
the water in paddling. 

While the hollowed logs remained in the 
forest they were used for holding the sap 
which was emptied into them from the birch 
bark basins or pails, which were filled, drop by 
drop, by the sap flowing through the basswood 
troughs inserted in the bark. Every two or 
three days the rounds of the trees were made 
and the sap emptied until the canoes were 
filled. 

Then came the great day for the making of 
the sugar, when the women, children and old 
men went into the sugar camps. For each fam¬ 
ily in a group, a camp fire was built; above it 
three stakes were driven into the ground, the 
tops crossed and tied together with grape 
vines, or cords of wild hemp, and the clay ket¬ 
tle suspended over the fire. The thin pale 
syrup, brought in pails from the canoes, was 
poured in and the laborious process of boiling 
down began. 

The children danced about in their play, 
making frequent trips to the kettle and finding 
it not ready, could not wait and took surrepti¬ 
tious drinks of the sap, which was rather in¬ 
sipid and sickening after a few swallows. Some 



THE MAPLE SUGAR DANCE 195 

of the older ones were allowed to help in stir¬ 
ring the steaming mixture, with the long- 
handled wooden spoons, until finally the syrup 
had thickened sufficiently to congeal when 
poured in long threads on the snow. 

The children with whoops of joy sprang to 
the portions assigned them by their mothers. 
While the young people feasted, their elders 
were obliged to stir continuously and to work 
swiftly lest the mixture should scorch and 
also to make the sugar fine. If over-cooked the 
crystals were coarse and the cakes so hardened 
that even their strong teeth were endangered 
and one might need a stone hatchet for break¬ 
ing it. Some of the sugar was poured into bark 
cases, or into the stalks of hollow reeds, or even 
into the beaks of duck to make dainties for the 
delight of the children. When it had hardened, 
some of the lumps were pulverized in the mor¬ 
tars and packed in bark cases for sprinkling on 
yokeg for feast days. 

As the Dance was one of the happiest festi¬ 
vals of the year, because it was the first cele¬ 
bration held at the close of the long, cold win¬ 
ter, so this outing of work and play was a 
happy event, always anticipated at the end of 
the Great Whiteness. 



XXIV. 

Springtime 


The maple sugar harvest marked the pass¬ 
ing of the Gadon (winter). While there were 
many days when the Kskac ssen (wide-way 
wind) blew fiercely from the northwest, bring¬ 
ing biting cold, still the warmer south winds 
were pushing, gradually, Old Man Winter back 
to his frozen wigwam in the north. There were 
many indications of the approach of the Blos¬ 
som Time and the Season of the Hot Suns. A 
thin coating of ice covered the ponds and 
brooks, but underneath, the little streams 
could be heard murmuring a song of rejoicing 
at their release from the icy grasp. The wil¬ 
lows were putting forth the little gray catkins 
and the red buds had begun to tinge the maple 
twigs with a rosy glow. 

Even before the maple harvest, a few co¬ 
honks (wild geese) returning from their win¬ 
ter home among the Powhatans, were seen and 
at the same time a few bluebirds, robins and 




196 










SPRINGTIME 


197 


song sparrows appeared. Now, larger flocks 
of geese were passing overhead and filled the 
air with raucous cries upon finding the ponds 
frozen, where they were accustomed to alight. 
The birds appeared in larger numbers, brought 
—as the children were told—on the backs of 
the cohonks; among the later arrivals red¬ 
winged blackbirds and phoebes were joining 
their songs with the springtime chorus. 

Perhaps thrilled by the songs of the birds or 
by some quality in the air, the young boys in¬ 
stinctively had taken their small bows and 
blunt arrows and gone out hunting chipmunks; 
this was another indication of the coming of 
springtime. 

During the last moon of the Great Whiteness 
came the first peal of thunder, which was con¬ 
sidered the sign that the life-giving forces were 
awakening after the sleep of Winter. The 
Thunder God, the most powerful of all the 
Manitous, had been invoked by chants and 
dances to send the rains. As the last vestige 
of ice was melted, the peeping of frogs an¬ 
nounced the arrival of spring. 

The Moon of the South Winds had hung her 
crescent in the sky. Fleecy cloud wigwams ob¬ 
scured the Sun for brief periods, while send- 



198 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


ing gentle raindrops pattering on the turf; 
then the Sun’s rays would burst forth, forming 
a wampum bow of delicate tints against the 
now smiling skies. 

The children searched for the early saxi¬ 
frage, bloodroot or anemones, and later for the 
tiny, sweet-scented white violets; these were 
followed by the fragrant arbutus and blue vio¬ 
lets. The tiny, reddish leaves of the early 
shoots of wintergreen found their way between 
the rosy lips for the pungent leaves are sweeter 
to childish lips than the autumn checkerberry. 

When the shad bush had begun to show the 
feathery white blossoms, Pigeon Wing proudly 
announced to Anitassis, “I am eight winters 
old, now. I’m just as old as you!” quite for¬ 
getting that after two more moons her little 
friend would have another birthday and could 
count nine winters. 

Rumors were heard that Miantonomo had 
been sending messengers among the River In¬ 
dians and, also, had reported falsely to the 
Paleface Fathers at Suckiaug that Uncas was 
plotting against him. This activity caused ap¬ 
prehension, so Uncas called his Council to dis¬ 
cuss the best measures for protection. It was 
decided to send stronger forces of scouts to 




SPRINGTIME 


199 


guard the fords of the Showtuck and a still 
larger number to guard the trail at the west¬ 
ward, in case an attack should be made by Se- 
quassen, leading the River Indians. 

Following the inactivities of the winter, the 
young braves were eager for action and many 
volunteered for scout duty. These underwent 
the necessary fast and medicine sweat, then 
gathered in the Council Lodge to smoke the 
pipe and take the vows of loyalty. Tantaquid- 
geon was sent to the ford of the Showtuck and 
Puppompogs, older and with experience in 
warfare, was made chieftain of the scouts 
guarding the western trail. 

Sleeptime followed sleeptime. The Moon 
of the South Winds hung late in the sky and 
made her journey among the stars just before 
the dawn was born. Then came sleeptimes of 
darkness, until the pale crescent of the Moon 
of the Corn Planting hid behind the ridge of 
hills, not long after Father Sun closed his cur¬ 
tains. 

The routine of living went on. The men pre¬ 
pared their hemp lines, the fibre nets, the 
brushwood mats and went out for their daily 
fishing. The Council was called and the matron 
for the corn planting was chosen; the fields 




200 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 



Jeets Bodansha and Pigeon Wing 


were prepared; the com soaked in its medicine 
and the day appointed for the ceremonials 
came; the same chants were sung and the 
dances took place as in former years, for the 
ceremonials never varied. The seven women 
who had been chosen, planted the seven sacred 
hills to the old time chant. That completed, 
with the seeds pressed down and the footprints 
showing, they went about the general planting 
of the communal fields. 

Laughter and gaiety enlivened the general 
planting. The women chatted with those in 





SPRINGTIME 


201 


the adjoining rows; the children played in 
little groups among the trees that edged the 
clearings; the maidens of marriageable age 
exchanged confidences. Little Bird completed 
her row and paused to rest under a tree; White 
Flower, whose row was finished first, came to 
join her and told of another meeting with her 
lover. Little Bird said nothing, but thought of 
the young scout guarding the far-away trail, 
whom she had met in the Blossom Time 
thirteen moons before. 

While they were engaged in these peaceful 
occupations, treachery had brought danger to 
some of their number, and already sorrow was 
hovering over the camp. Unless an amicable 
settlement could be brought about, war threat¬ 
ened. 






XXV. 

Treachery 


When the women were planting the corn 
and the children played under the trees, while 
their older sisters were exchanging tender con¬ 
fidences, Uncas and several of the sagamores 
were returning from a trip to the Quinihtituck 
where they had been to visit their friends and 
former home among the Podunks. It was in 
that section where some of them had lived for 
a while when Uncas was in rebellion against 
his kinsman and former Sachem, Sassacus, be¬ 
fore he had defeated him in the war against 
the Pequots. 

One of their objects had been to trade for 
tobacco, which grew luxuriantly in that sec¬ 
tion and developed a particularly fine flavor 
in the red clay soil, inundated by the River 
during the spring freshets. 

They had loaded their canoes and were pad¬ 
dling quietly homeward. When about half 
way down to the mouth of the River, a sudden, 
faint sing was heard, then arrows came flying 
from among the trees on the river banks. No 




202 








TREACHERY 


203 


one was injured owing to poor marksmanship, 
as their assailants were dazzled by the rippling 
reflections of the sunlight on the water. 

After paddling along the shores of the Little 
Salt Sea during the night, Uncas and his braves 
returned up their Great River as the Sun came 
forth from his wigwam in the sky. When they 
neared the camp, loud wailing was heard. They 
were greeted with the news that while several 
of the men were fishing for trout in one of the 
streams flowing into the Oxo-paug-suck (Oxo- 
boxo) at the west of the camp, they had been 
attacked by some of the River Indians. One 
of the chiefs was badly wounded and begin¬ 
ning his death chant, *“Yu ni ne ne andai: 
jibai oke: ni ki pi ai: ni mas setcu” (“Here I 
am. To the spirit-land I am going, I shall pass 
away”) had died as with faltering lips, he 
breathed the last syllables. 

His companions had borne his body home¬ 
ward. Already the Shaman stood outside the 
wigwam, chanting in a loud voice to the spirits 
of the departed kindred that the brave, who 
had met such an unhappy fate, had started on 
the long trail to join them in the abode of Kieh- 


(By permission of Dr. Frank G. Speck.) 





204 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


tan in their Happy Hunting Ground, far to¬ 
ward the Southwest. 

Prepared for burial in his best mantle, with 
the five eagle feathers that he had won for 
bravery in his hair, and wampum about his 
neck, his body was wrapped in skins and sus¬ 
pended from a pole by thongs fastened at the 
neck, waist and ankles. It was carried by two 
friends whose faces were blackened, and 
placed in a canoe. Other friends, with their 
faces also painted black as a symbol of their 
grief, followed, carrying his moccasins, his 
bow and beaded belt with the quiver filled with 
arrows, his hunting pouch and flint knife to be 
laid beside him; also wooden bowls filled with 
food to sustain him on The Long Trail. 

Several canoes were filled with sorrowing 
friends to follow him on his final trip up the 
Great River. When they reached the basin 
of the Yantuck the canoes were halted at the 
foot of the waterfall. To the chant of the water 
as it dashed musically over the rocks, the dead 
sagamore was borne up the narrow trail— 
under the sunlight flickering through the leaves 
and lightening the shadows cast by the over¬ 
arching trees which lined the high banks—to 



TREACHERY 


205 


rest in a plot not far from where the royal 
Chieftains were buried. 

Here in a grave lined with birch bark he was 
placed with his face toward the rising sun and 
surrounded by all of his implements of war 
and of the chase, with the bowls of food near 
his head. 

The first sad ceremonies completed, his com¬ 
rades sat down around the body and wept, not 
restraining the tears that flowed down their 
cheeks, as one after another recounted his 
bravery or kind deeds when sickness or sor¬ 
row had come to them. After some time de¬ 
voted to eulogies, stakes were placed across the 
opening to hold a covering of bark, and when 
it was covered with earth, and their dead com¬ 
rade was closed from their sight, their grief 
burst forth again. 

The grave was surrounded by a fence and a 
fire kindled on the mound. When the final 
ceremonials were over and the braves de¬ 
parted, two of his nearest kinsmen were left to 
guard the fire for the duration of four sleeps, 
while his spirit was on the Long Trail to the 
abode of Kiehtan. 

Wailing was observed for the chieftain at 
sunset and at sunrise for the length of time 




206 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


their etiquette demanded for one of his rank. 
His family remained inside the wigwam to re¬ 
ceive the visits of their friends, who showed 
their sympathy by tenderly stroking the cheeks 
of the bereaved ones and bidding them, “Be of 
good ^eer.” When the women were next seen, 
their faces had been painted black, all their 
ornaments laid aside and the fringes cut from 
their dresses as a symbol of their mourning. 

After two sleeps, Uncas with a small band of 
warriors, took the trail to Suckiaug to complain 
to the Palefaces of the treachery of the River 
Indians. Hoping to avert warfare, Governor 
Haynes summoned both Chieftains to appear 
before him. He asked Uncas what compensa¬ 
tion must be made. 

Uncas replied, “Great Father of the Pale¬ 
faces, the murdered man was one of my chiefs, 
so the Sunjum of the River Indians must give 
me six of his warriors to put to death.” 

Knowing that Sequassen would never sub¬ 
mit to so great a demand, the Governor per¬ 
suaded Uncas to ask for less recompense, so 
finally only one man, the slayer, was selected. 

Sequassen then spoke, “Great Father, the 
warrior named by the Sunjum of the Mohiks-i- 
nug (Mohegans) is a man of importance. He is 




TREACHERY 


207 


a kinsman and favorite of Miantonomo and I 
will not give him up, even if it means war, be¬ 
cause the Narragansetts will help me to defend 
him.” 

As no agreement could be reached, Gover¬ 
nor Haynes dismissed them and the magis¬ 
trates told Uncas that he could “avenge his 
own wrongs.” No one could foresee what great 
events were to be the outcome from the failure 
to bring about a peaceful settlement and rep¬ 
aration for the slaying. 








When Uncas had been dismissed by Gover¬ 
nor Haynes and the magistrates, the Mohegans 
returned as quickly as possible to their home, 
determined to avenge the death of their com¬ 
rade and end, if possible, the petty attacks 
caused by the jealousy of the neighboring 
tribes. 

Little time was spent in discussion by the 
Council before the decision was made for a 
surprise against Sequassen. Great excitement 
pervaded the camp when the great drum was 
struck and the herald chanted an invitation for 
the braves to go upon the warpath. 

Then the chief warriors gathered about for 
the war dance. To the beat of the drum and 
the rhythm of the rattles, one by one they 
danced about the war post. Each struck the 
painted face with a club to signify his inten¬ 
tion of taking the trail, meanwhile recounting 
the number of his battles and the enemies 
killed. In the paths extending from the circle, 


208 








THE SALLY AGAINST SEQUASSEN 209 



One by One They Danced About the Wak Post 


the braves squatted in single file and as each 
dancer finished his recital and dropped back, 
the vacant place was filled by another whose 
enthusiasm had been aroused by the cere¬ 
monial. 

The first to volunteer was Puppompogs for, 
while performing scout duty, he had rushed to 
the assistance of the men who were attacked 
when peacefully fishing, and accompanied the 
body of the murdered brave as it was borne to 





210 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


the camp. The treachery of the River Indians 
so incensed him that he brandished his war 
club with vindictive fury. 

Those who had pledged themselves then un¬ 
derwent the mysteries of the medicine sweat. 
This was a veiled secret to the children al¬ 
though they peeked inside the low arbor while 
a woman raked the hot coals from a hearth of 
round stones. The members of the war party 
were led by the Shaman, wearing a hideous 
mask, and as they entered the tent each war¬ 
rior cast aside his mantle. 

The voice of the medicine man could be 
heard chanting, as he sprinkled fragrant leaves 
on the hot stones for purification. When birch 
bark pails were passed inside there was a hiss¬ 
ing noise and great clouds of steam arose as 
the water was poured over the hot stones. 
After a while the braves came out and rushed 
down to the river for a cooling plunge. 

Following a day of fasting and a short sleep, 
the warriors were painted for battle (“deco¬ 
rated for death, if so the spirits willed”) their 
nearly naked bodies showing their individual 
marks, partly to secure the protection of their 
“medicine,” and partly to serve as a means of 
identification. 



THE SALLY AGAINST SEQUASSEN 211 


Before their departure the women sang the 
chants that had been composed years before, 
to encourage the warriors in battle and to give 
them power and strength to endure the hard¬ 
ships before them. When they embarked in 
the canoes the entire camp gathered on the 
bank to watch their going. The paddles 
dipped to the rhythm of the final song that the 
women had composed for this occasion: 

“Go now our warriors brave 
Your comrade’s death avenge, 

Nor let your courage fail, 

Defeat the bold Sequassen, 

The stars will guide your way 
To find the victory trail.” 

When the braves had gone, it was with 
heavy hearts that the women went out to finish 
the planting and the old men to their fishing, 
although they had prayed to the good spirits 
to protect their loved ones and had sacrificed 
to Hobbamocko, the evil spirit, who knew over 
which wigwam the spirit of death might be 
hovering. 

Grim determination, combined with war 
paint, made the most handsome and kindly 
faces of the warriors hideous as, with swift, 
sure strokes of the paddles, they swung the 



212 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


canoes into the current, the outgoing tide 
carrying them rapidly toward the mouth. 

Soon the mists enveloping the river were dis¬ 
pelled by the warm sunlight, and the banks 
were revealed in their beauty, the tender 
greens of the early foliage forming a vivid 
background for the snowy blossoms of the dog¬ 
wood. But with thoughts intent upon revenge, 
they had no eyes for nature, and their glances 
sought the banks only in watchfulness for 
lurking foes. 

It was not long before they reached the 
mouth, and passed the wilderness and gleam¬ 
ing white beach, once the property of the 
Pequots. The day was warm, but the gentle 
breezes were refreshing as they turned into 
the Little Salt Sea, bordering on the country 
of the Nehantics. Passing in sight of the 
fishing camps on the long point, they ap¬ 
proached the broad neck of land where lived a 
band of their allies so huge in stature that their 
name of Giants was given to the spot. 

Here they halted their canoes for a brief 
time, for rest, near the rock where a hair seal 
was sunning himself; where the gulls were 
wheeling, and gliding with motionless wings, 
before diving for the unwary fish swimming 




THE. SALLY AGAINST SEQUASSEN 213 


peacefully in the shallow waters. In this bay 
were the rocky islets of the Two Brothers, who 
had been turned by a wizard into stone, and 
destined forever to be useful only as a breeding 
place for gulls. In their sheltering hollows 
hundreds of eggs were laid each season, to be 
hatched by the warmth of the sun. 

Beyond the next turn the canoes glided into 
a narrow inlet edged with tall rushes. Here the 
warriors disembarked to remain sheltered for 
the remainder of the Sun’s journey. They 
wished for no opposition from their Paleface 
friends at the fort on the western bank of the 
Long River, or to be seen by the allies of their 
enemies, who might be fishing for the abun¬ 
dant shad. 

When the Sun had closed his curtains, and 
the graying light rendered them invisible, with 
rapid strokes the canoes turned the curve into 
the broad mouth. With apprehension they 
passed the mountain at Mache-moodus, 
thought to be the abode of Hobbamocko, the 
evil spirit. Here his angry rumblings were 
often heard ; the heavy stones rolled from their 
places and large fissures opened when the 
earth trembled with his wrath. 

When the stronghold of Sequassen was 



214 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


reached they lay concealed under cover of the 
sleeptime darkness. With the first, faint light 
that betokened the coming of dawn they be¬ 
gan to creep toward the wigwams. A rotten 
fagot snapped; down they fell waiting motion¬ 
less, until they were sure that no watchful scout 
had been attracted by the sound; on again, two 
or three paces at a time, alert, and falling pros¬ 
trate at the slightest rustle. 

As they approached the nearest wigwam a 
dog barked vociferously. Without giving the 
enemy time to sense danger Uncas sprang up, 
shouting “Ai-ai-ai-ai!”; his warriors followed 
his signal, joining in the hideous yells of the 
battle cry. 

Pandemonium reigned as the Sicaoggs, 
roused from slumber, jumped from their beds 
and rushed out with upraised war clubs. Pup- 
pompogs, the fast runner, pushed ahead and 
his tomahawk crashed on the skull of his near¬ 
est foe. Down went the enemy! Another was 
about to attack him when Black Bear came to 
the rescue and, with a quick blow on the up¬ 
lifted arm, the life of Puppompogs was saved. 

Uncas, taller and more powerful than any 
of his braves, sought for Sequassen, but his 
defenders closed about the River Chief. The 




THE SALLY AGAINST SEQUASSEN 215 


battle was furious and they fought bravely for 
a while, but finding themselves overpowered, 
turned and fled. Some of Uncas’ men followed 
them with arrows; several were wounded, but 
the foe were quickly concealed among the 
trees. 

While some of the Mohegans remained on 
guard, others searched the wigwams for booty 
ashes on the hearths, that they might be fanned 
and scattered the firebrands covered with 
into flames. Others searched for the fallen and 
tore away the scalp locks; but Puppompogs 
and three others, in their zeal to avenge their 
murdered friend, wielded their flint knives 
with vindictive fury, completely severing the 
heads of their victims and bearing them in 
triumph to the canoes. 

The dawning light warned the invaders to 
hasten before the runners could reach the 
settlements below and arrange to attack them 
on their return down the river. As they em¬ 
barked, yelling triumphantly over the success 
of their revenge, the lurid glow in the west 
from the blazing wigwams, vied with the rosy 
glow showing between the parted curtains of 
the eastern sky. 

After another sleeptime the watchers at the 



216 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


camp heard halloos resounding in the distance 
down the river. Everyone rushed down the 
bank to greet the warriors who were returning 
in triumph, for in the bow of each canoe was 
a pole holding aloft the head of an enemy. 

As soon as the warriors had landed and the 
joyous greetings had been exchanged—for all 
had returned safe—the braves in single file 
passed up the bank, each carrying something 
taken from the enemy as a symbol of his 
bravery. The women and children seized the 
booty with which the canoes were loaded and 
carried it up the bank to pile it in the square 
inside the stockade until the time when Uncas 
would divide the spoils. 

First, the ceremonial dance must be ob¬ 
served with its chants and yells. These ex¬ 
pressed not only rejoicing over the victory, but 
were religious rituals, to still the uneasiness of 
the souls of the enemy killed in battle and start 
them on the trail to the spirit world. 

The ceremonials ended, they gathered 
around the camp fire and while Uncas decided 
upon the division of booty, he signed to his 
brother to relate the story of the attack. 

“The winds were propitious/’ began Wawee- 
quaw, “and our canoes glided swiftly over the 




THE SALLY AGAINST SEQUASSEN 217 


gentle waves of the Little Salt Sea until we 
reached the mouth of the Long River. Here we 
waited to paddle up under cover of the dark¬ 
ness ; we rested quietly in our canoes until the 
dawn, then crept on our hands and knees up 
the bank. Lying flat on the ground we crawled 
a few inches at a time until we were within a 
few paces of the wigwams, when the barking 
of a dog threatened to arouse the camp. We 
sprang up. Our Chieftain raised our battle 
cry. The River men rushed from their lodges. 
They had their tomahawks, but we fought fu¬ 
riously and eight were killed instantly! 

“While the women and children fled into the 
forest, Sequassen and his warriors bravely 
fought. Thirteen more were wounded! The 
others hid in the woods. When we had se¬ 
cured all the valuables that could be loaded 
into the canoes our Sunjum directed us to set 
fire to the wigwams, thus hoping to subdue our 
enemies and discourage future attacks, so 
there would be more lasting peace. I have 
spoken.” 

He sat down. A gleam of enthusiasm lighted 
the faces of the listeners, for, from his brief 
recital, the old warriors pictured for them¬ 
selves the fierceness of the fight. When the 



218 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


booty bad been divided, every family received 
quite an addition to their store of wampum, of 
valuable beaver and other small skins; while 
a few mats and large skins were placed in the 
Council Lodge. 

Then the hungry braves, having lived upon 
yokeg while on the trip, were glad to squat 
once more around their own hearth fires and 
feast upon the delicious mischcuppaoug (scup 
or porgy), the fish of the finest grain and sweet¬ 
est flavor. It was considered a greater delicacy 
because caught in the vicinity of the Little Salt 
Sea only in the Moon of the Corn Planting and 
when the wind blows from a favorable direc¬ 
tion. 

As the warriors rested after their meal, 
groups of friends gathered in the wigwams to 
question and listen to further details of the 
fight. The boys, not daring to question, lis¬ 
tened no less eagerly to every word. Ardently 
wishing for the time when they could equal the 
courage of their elders, they were so roused by 
the enthusiasm of the braves that they continu¬ 
ally engaged in mimic warfare, and it was not 
many days before Crow Feather and his play¬ 
mates came near getting into trouble. 







r; 

XXVII. J 

- ' 


The Following Suns — 



The excitement from the battle lasted for 
several suns although the routine of the camp 
went on as usual. When the men paddled up to 
their weirs in the Showtuck they carried the 
story of the sally to the scouts who were guard¬ 
ing the fords. They also were stirred by the 
success of the expedition; but these young 
braves, who only a moon before had been so 
elated at being on duty in such an important 
place—with its possibilities for peril and win¬ 
ning honors in event of a surprise from the Nar- 
ragansetts—felt a deep chagrin at the lost op¬ 
portunity for showing their valor. 

Tantaquidgeon, ambitious and eager to 
prove his courage, wondered, “What spirit 
have I offended that such good fortune passed 
me by? Have I spent so much time in games 
and swimming, hoping to increase my strength 
and skill, that I have neglected to fast, and 
listen in silence to the guiding voices of the 
spirits of the air?” 


219 









220 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


The victory and its probable results were dis¬ 
cussed over and over among the others who, 
with their hemp lines, bone fish hooks and 
large nets, turned their canoes toward the 
mouth of the River to catch the larger varieties 
of fish that came up from the sea. The only 
event that occurred to divert their thoughts 
took place when a large sturgeon, leaping 
wildly to escape from the net, landed in one 
of the dugouts threatening to overturn it. 
While it was not unusual to find sturgeon in 
that part of the River, the strange manner of 
its capture furnished an interesting topic for 
conversation. 

As the women went out to inspect the 
planted fields, they gathered in groups to men¬ 
tion to one another the honors a husband or 
son had gained; or, when they prepared the 
fish for drying, listened to the men who sat 
around the camp fire. 

The bravery of Puppompogs was most fre¬ 
quently mentioned; although absent, as he had 
returned to direct the scouts in the westward 
forest, he became a still greater hero to the 
youths. No young boy deigned to walk about 
the clearing without his short bow and blunt 
arrows. Their little bodies could be seen wrig- 




THE FOLLOWING SUNS 


221 


gling along on the ground between the wig¬ 
wams, or in and out among the trees, while 
any convenient stump served for a war post 
to be struck by a fagot, as they lived in imag¬ 
ination the experiences of the victors. Occa¬ 
sionally, when some demure little maiden 
walked along mothering her doll, one of these 
mischievous warriors would spring from be¬ 
hind a tree, uttering a terrible whoop and 
frightening her nearly as much as a real enemy. 
More than one tried the same trick with his 
mother—to his sorrow! 

With praises of Puppompogs continually 
spoken, many a maiden secretly wished that 
upon his return, he would bring ornaments of 
wampum to her father’s wigwam, thus asking 
her to tend his hearth fire. 

In her thoughts, White Flower pictured an¬ 
other brave as she had seen him embarking or 
returning in triumph with a trophy in his hand. 
For some reason her father did not favor the 
lover, but she hoped that the honor gained 
might overcome his prejudice. She confided 
many of her fancies and hopes to Little Bird, 
who listened and wondered about her own fu¬ 
ture. Hoping that her brave might be a noble 
hero, the proud face and haughty carriage of 




222 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Puppompogs would appear like a vision, then 
slowly fade into the noble features of the 
youthful brave whom she had met on the trail 
early in the Blossom Time. 





It was a hot morning in midsummer. Many 
of the women were out in the fields scratching 
the earth around the rapidly growing corn, and 
cultivating the beans, for there had been little 
dew and the leaves would not show rust spots 
when touched by the soil. 

Some of the braves had taken the canoes and 
were fishing in the vicinity of the camp; the 
older men were down under the bank treading 
out clams with their bare feet—for it was low 
tide in the Great River. 

Pigeon Wing, Humming Bird, Crow Feather 
and several other boys and girls were down on 
the narrow strip of sand, within sight of the 
old men, and were playing. Sometimes they 
chased and ducked each other in the water, or 
threw small stones at some distant rock as 
each thought of some new game to play. 

Suddenly the peaceful occupations were dis¬ 
turbed. Sharp yells were heard from the for- 









224 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


ests above the camp, the signal of danger! 
More cries were heard coming from a canoe 
that was being propelled with great rapidity, 
from far up the river! The braves paddled in 
from their fishing. The old men and children 
clambered up the bank. The women came run¬ 
ning back to their wigwams. 

In an instant all was confusion. Tantaquid- 
geon, the fleetest runner among the scouts, 
had reached the camp with the news that the 
Narragansetts had been seen crossing the ford 
of the Showtuck and starting in the direction 
of the Yantuck! 

There was no time for council but each war¬ 
rior, hurriedly snatching his battle club, toma¬ 
hawk and bow and arrows, started at full run, 
with Uncas leading. 

For a while the camp was a turmoil. The old 
men, once fierce warriors, threw aside their 
buckskin blankets and putting on their quiver 
belts, sat grasping their bows, with their toma¬ 
hawks within reach, prepared to defend to the 
best of their feeble ability; muttering curses 
upon the “treacherous Narragansetts,” who 
had disregarded the rules of warfare, for 
Miantonomo had sent no brave ;o demand sat¬ 
isfaction, or declare war, am' give Uncas time 



THE ALARM 


225 



to send for his allied chieftains. Well they 
knew that the enemy hoped to take them by 
surprise and destroy them, but fearing their 
craftiness, Uncas had kept scouts on the look¬ 
out for many moons. 

One muttered, “May the sun scorch him!” 
Another added, “He sent no man with a wam¬ 
pum belt, having the symbol of tomahawks, to 
declare war!” 

Red Squirrel and the other youths were sta¬ 
tioned outside the stockade to watch for a first 
glimpse of the enemy, and even the little boys 
grasped their bows and peeked through the 
openings. As his mother and Pigeon Wing 
passed him, Crow Feather proudly drew up his 
little body, saying as he stretched his bow¬ 
string, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll shoot ’em.” 

After a short silence while they grew more 
and more angry, one old man growled, “May 
the Rivers drown them!” One prayed to the 
Winds to deflect their arrows and another 
ejaculated, “May their battle axes break!” 









226 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Meanwhile the women came hurrying from 
the wigwams, their backs loaded with heavy 
packs of clothing, suspended by the metomp 
across the forehead, and their arms filled with 
cooking utensils and food. To Little Bird and 
other girls was entrusted the precious wam¬ 
pum, while the children did not forget their 
toys. Some of the women went back and forth 
from the wigwams, while others dug holes 
burying the wampum and some of the finest 
skins; then scattering fagots and other litter 
to conceal the freshly turned earth, or the 
caches where the ceremonial robes and the re¬ 
mainder of the corn were stored. So the day 
was spent in watching and concealing their 
treasures from a possible raid, until the night¬ 
fall. 

Other scouts had run to warn those in the 
forest villages to the westward and the braves 
came hurrying in to join their Chieftain as the 
war party ran swiftly up the trail, over the hills, 
and down through the hollows past the Trad¬ 
ing Cove and across the brook; then up the in¬ 
cline to the level plain above. As they reached 
the brow of the hill, Uncas halted his men 
and in a few words arranged an unusual strat¬ 
egy to surprise the enemy, for he had more 



THE ALARM 


227 



than the usual share of worldly wisdom and 
was noted for his talent and craftiness in plot¬ 
ting. 

Then on they sped, across the plain until 
the Narragansetts appeared coming over the 
hill from the ford of the Yantuck. Uncas 
halted his men and sent a message asking for a 
parley. It was granted and Uncas and Mian- 
tonomo advanced to the center of the plain be¬ 
tween their forces. The Mohegans waited 





228 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


alert, according to the instructions of their 
Sachem. The Narragansetts, who were more 
than double their number, stood careless and 
inattentive, probably thinking that the Mohe- 
gans would not dare to fight. Uncas proposed 
a single combat between himself and the Nar- 
ragansett chieftain. Expecting to overpower 
their opponents, Miantonomo refused. Then 
Uncas suddenly fell to the ground; his men 
obeyed the signal and discharged a shower of 
arrows. The Sachem sprang up, raising the 
battle cry, and his men rushed forward, brand¬ 
ishing their tomahawks. 

The Narragansetts recovered from their sur¬ 
prise and for a brief time the fight raged 
fiercely. Those in the front ranks engaged in 
hand to hand encounters with war clubs; ar¬ 
rows were flying in both directions from the 
warriors on the outskirts. The men of both 
forces gathered about their Chieftains for their 
protection, as each was a target for the enemy. 
Hideous yells resounded, with the crashing of 
battle axes. 

Panic overtook the Narragansetts. They 
turned and fled! The Mohegans, uttering 
piercing yells, started in hot pursuit, each sin¬ 
gling out the nearest enemy. Puppompogs’ ar- 



THE ALARM 


229 


row found a fleeing victim; the man dropped; 
a swift swing of the flint knife and the dripping 
scalp-lock swung from the belt of the victor. 
Tantaquidgeon, protecting his chief, felled an 
enemy with a blow from his war club; a pause; 
he ran on with the scalp dangling at his side, 
his heart swelling in exultation with his first 
honor gained in battle! 

The enemy became confused. Pursued in 
every direction by the Mohegans, some, think¬ 
ing that they had reached the trail to the ford, 
fled to the basin below the Falls, others to the 
dangerous cliff; they jumped; but the distance 
was too great. They met a fate more cruel than 
tomahawks, as they were dashed in the depths 
of the gorge, where the water seethed between 
pointed, jagged rocks. 

Miantonomo, with some of his experienced 
men, knowing the country fled toward the ford. 
Uncas shouted, “Follow Miantonomo!” So 
Tantaquidgeon, whose arrow had wounded a 
lesser man, turned aside, giving up another 
coveted honor, in obedience to his chieftain. 
Uncas fought with all his old time vigor and 
courage, felling a number of the enemy as he 
overtook their flight. Puppompogs, hearing 
the command of the Sachem, followed, but, 



230 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


wishing to gain every possible honor, turned 
aside several times to dispatch a frightened 
foe. Tantaquidgeon hurried on, brandishing 
his club or speeding an arrow only for protec¬ 
tion, and leaving the coveted scalps for the 
next comer. 

The Narragansett Chief, impeded in his 
flight by the wadded corslet given him by a 
Paleface friend, could run but slowly over the 
heights beyond the Yantuck. Tantaquidgeon 
soon overtook him, jostling and tripping him 
to impede his progress while awaiting the com¬ 
ing of Uncas. Puppompogs, too, came up sev¬ 
eral times and prevented him from turning 
aside, but could not resist pursuing others and 
was out of sight, thus losing a great honor when 
his Chieftain overtook his enemy and touched 
him on the shoulder. 

Miantonomo sank down, awaiting in calm 
silence, whatever might be his fate. Several of 
his warriors, taken captive, were tomahawked 
before him, but he showed no signs of fear or 
weakness. Uncas tried to make him speak but 
he remained silent. The Sachem raised a cry 
of victory to recall his men who had pursued 
the enemy as far as the Showtuck; the hands of 
the captive were bound; rejoicing over the vic¬ 
tory, they returned homeward. 



THE ALARM 


231 


As he retraced the trail over which he had 
come with eager expectations for a successful 
attack to revenge his ally, there was no sign of 
the misery that must have overwhelmed the 
proud and haughty Miantonomo; with his 
brother and kinsmen wounded, deserted by 
most of his men and with the scalps of twenty 
others hanging from the girdles of his victors. 

When they appeared at the brow of the hill 
they announced their arrival by whoops of 
victory to the anxious watchers in the camp, 
who awaited the returning conquerors coming 
down the trail. 

Great was the rejoicing of the braves as they 
entered the camp with the haughty Mianto¬ 
nomo a prisoner, his hands tied behind his 
back with withes of willow. He carried him¬ 
self proudly notwithstanding his peculiar ap¬ 
pearance which caused considerable mirth 
among his captors, on account of the heavily 
wadded corslet in contrast to the nearly nude, 
painted bodies of the other warriors. 

The herald stood outside the stockade and 
as the braves came in single file, according to 
the honors won, he announced the number of 
enemy killed or scalps taken. Immediately 
following the Sachem was Tantaquidgeon and 



232 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


after him Puppompogs. To Uncas was ac¬ 
corded the honor of capturing Miantonomo. 

Although Tantaquidgeon had been the first 
to overtake the Narragansett Chieftain and ob¬ 
structed his flight, in deference to his Sachem 
he refrained from actual capture. While full 
credit could not be given to the youthful brave, 
the honors announced gave evidence that he 
had won not only the coveted eagle feather, 
but had gained such distinction that the tales 
of how he had assisted would be told around 
the camp fires for many a Gadon (freezing¬ 
time) to follow. Puppompogs, who missed be¬ 
ing present at the moment of seizure, although 
he had assisted in hindering Miantonomo, lost 
the credit for the help he had given. 

Soon the scalps had been stretched on hoops 
about six inches in diameter and fastened to 
poles that were driven into the ground. At one 
side sat the musicians with drum and rattle. 
To the chants of victory, the warriors danced 
about, at first rapidly in exultation with shouts 
of joy. Then came fierce yells, followed by 
wailing tones and the steps were taken slowly, 
to the lengthened rhythm of the chants. 

Some of the children who had never seen 
this ceremony, eagerly watched and whispered 




THE ALARM 


233 



The Scalps Were Fastened to Poles Driven Into 
the Ground 

questions about it; when it was finished an old 
brave led them out of hearing and said: 

“You must not talk during the dance. It is a 
sacred ceremonial, for with every scalp taken, 
we gain more control over the spirit life of 
our enemies. You must never laugh at the yell 
of the braves when they imitate the scalping; 
while it is partly in rejoicing over the victory, 
it is also in lamentation that they were obliged 
to kill. You are not old enough to understand 
it, but part of the chant is prayer for the spirits 
of our enemies who have started on the Long 
Trail to the abode of Kiehtan. Know that the 
Scalp Dance is sacred!” 



234 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


The dance ended, the women hurriedly be¬ 
gan preparing a feast. A huge camp fire was 
kindled; around it the warriors sat feasting 
and chanting long after the moon and stars be¬ 
gan their journey on the sky trail, and they 
ceased for only a brief sleep when the dawn 
was born anew. 






The next day Uncas and his chief men 
gathered at the Council Lodge to decide upon 
the fate of Miantonomo. As most of the coun¬ 
cilors were former braves, too old to wield the 
battle axe, it was decided to postpone the dis¬ 
cussions until the story of the battle had been 
told, so there was a summons for a general at¬ 
tendance. 

At the end farthest from the entrance of the 
Long Lodge, on a raised seat covered with a 
wolf skin, significant of the tribal name of 
Mohiks—from maingan, or wolf—sat Uncas, 
the great Sachem. He was dressed in full cere¬ 
monial costume, with eagle feathers in his 
scalp lock and many strings of wampum 
around his neck covering his chest and extend¬ 
ing to his elaborately beaded belt; thrown over 
his shoulders was a fox skin mantle—a symbol 
of his own name, Woncas, the fox, or “circler.” 

Grouped on both sides were his chief coun- 


235 







236 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


cilors and nearest kinsmen. In a circle on the 
mats around the camp fire sat the braves and 
back of them were the youths, the future war¬ 
riors. Contrary to usual custom, the women 
and girls were allowed to listen, and they were 
grouped on mats of doe and rabbit skin at the 
left of the entrance, with the children close 
outside the Lodge. 

After the great drum had been struck, 
Uncas gave a sign to his brother, Waweequaw, 
who knelt and lifted the ceremonial pipe that 
had been laid carefully on the hearth. He 
filled and lighted it with the proper ceremony 
and passed it to Uncas, who raised it to the sky 
solemnly chanting: 

“Father Sun, let thy light give us wisdom.” 
Then pointing it toward the ground: 

“Mother Earth, give thy strength.” 

After puffing it in the direction of the Four 
Winds, repeating the ritual, he passed it to the 
oldest councilor, who puffed and gave it to the 
next of rank; so it slowly passed around the 
circle as the story of the battle was narrated. 

At the sound of the drum Uncas rose with 
impressive dignity and spoke: “Great is the 
glory of Mohiks! We have gained a greater 
victory than has been told before in the wig- 



STORY OF THE BATTLE 


237 



The Pipe Slowly Passed Around the Circle 


warns of the tribes living near the sunrise. It 
will be told by the camp fires in winters to 
come by your children’s children and by their 
children—how the Mohiksinug, aided only by 
the great spirits of the earth and air to guide 
their arrows, vanquished the great Narragan- 
sett hordes. 

“Know, Men of the Council, that after the 
alarm, we ran hot foot, and swift as a bird in 
its flight, over the hill and down across the 
stream above the Trading Cove until we came 



238 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


to the Great Plain. There we were met by a 
runner who shouted, ‘They have crossed the 
ford of the Yantuck! They are here!’ Quickly 
I halted my warriors and in the short space of 
a breath had arranged a signal to surprise the 
enemy. They appeared coming over the hill! 
I sped a runner to ask for a parley. 

“Then, alone, your Sunjum advanced to 
meet Miantonomo, who as war chief, led the 
Narragansetts to battle for his uncle, the old 
Canonicus. We met half way between our 
forces. I proposed to spare the lives of our 
warriors and said to him, ‘Let us two fight it 
out. If you kill me, my men shall be yours ,* but 
if I kill you, your men shall be mine.’ 

“His warriors were as two leaves on a tree to 
one of ours. Hoping to overpower us and then 
sweep on to destroy our village—leaving the 
moon to shine down on the bodies of our old 
men and children and taking our women and 
maidens as captives—the Narragansett an¬ 
swered me with haughty disdain, ‘My men 
came to fight and they shall fight.’ 

“I gave my signal by falling flat upon my 
face! I have spoken.” Sitting down with slow 
ceremony, he signed to his brother to continue. 

The drum had been struck. “Great Sunjum 



STORY OF THE BATTLE 


239 


and Men of the Council,” began Wawee- 
quaw, “we stood with bent bows watching for 
the signal and quickly sped our shower of ar¬ 
rows. Swiftly as an eagle rose our Chief. 
Shouting our battle cry ‘Ai-ai-ai!’ we rushed 
forward with our tomahawks, our Sunjum 
leading. The enemy were taken by surprise, 
probably thinking we would not venture to 
fight when we were so few. 

“They seemed to have no plan; after a little 
fierce fighting they turned and ran. I saw some 
run toward the ford of the Yantuck. Others 
turned to the deep basin below the rapids. One 
band was so frightened that they went straight 
to the cliff below the waterfall. My band fol¬ 
lowed ; while we were killing some, others tried 
to jump across the gorge. They were dashed 
on the rocks below. I have spoken.” 

As soon as the drum had sounded, Tanta- 
quidgeon rose and said, “Know great Sunjum 
and Men of the Council, that our band, shout¬ 
ing in victory, drove the enemy like a whirl¬ 
wind through the shallows of the river, across 
the plain where our brave ancestors are 
buried; then over the ledges in the forest 
beyond until we had nearly reached the plain 
by the fords of the Showtuck. 




240 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“I had singled out the treacherous Chieftain, 
because he was wearing around his body a 
thick war garment given to him by the Pale¬ 
faces. I threw myself against him several 
times, tripping him, to hinder his flight until 
our Sunjum had finished taking scalps and 
could come up and capture him. As soon as our 
Chieftain touched his shoulder, the Narragan- 
sett stopped and, offering no resistance, sat 
down upon the ground. No warrior turned 
back to rescue him from his disgrace, so our 
Chief gave the whoop of victory and the battle 
ceased. 

“The captive spoke no word. Some warriors 
were tomahawked before him; no sound came 
from his lips. Hoping to make him beg in 
fear, our Sunjum said, ‘Why do you not speak? 
If you had taken me, I should have besought 
you for my life.’ He made no answer. Then 
we bound his arms with withes and rolled 
some large stones together to mark the place 
of his capture. You know of our return. I have 
spoken.” 

When the “Fleetest Runner” finished speak¬ 
ing, the drum sounded and Puppompogs arose. 
Beginning with the usual formalities, he con¬ 
tinued, “Know, that I, too, followed swiftly 



STORY OF THE BATTLE 


241 


after the fleeing Miantonomo and several times 
assisted the brave—who has related his own 
exploits—in impeding the flight of our captive. 
Because I turned aside, for an instant, to toma¬ 
hawk another of the enemy, is no lasting honor 
to be credited to me for all the times when I 
retarded his flight? I have spoken.” With a 
bitter expression, he sat down. 

The drum struck the signal for the chants 
of victory. Then as the pipe was refilled and 
passed about, the braves, one after another, re¬ 
counted their exploits, of how many scalps they 
had taken—for more than one young warrior 
was entitled to wear an eagle feather as the 
result of the fight. One related how he had 
wounded a brother of Miantonomo; another, 
of how his arrow had wounded a son of Canon- 
icus; then another added that his tomahawk 
had injured a younger son of Canonicus, al¬ 
though it had failed to kill him. 

Occasionally grim mirth was aroused when 
someone told of the cowardly fright of a few 
who seemed to have lost their senses; or of 
one who had plunged into the river below the 
waterfall and swam across, but imagininghim- 
self still in the water, was discovered trying to 
swim in the bushes! 




242 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


As the incidents were related the children 
listened, in respectful silence, no less eagerly 
than their elders, the little boys ardently wish¬ 
ing for the time when they would become 
braves like their fathers and brothers. But 
the little girls dared not confess, even to each 
other, that their little hearts were fluttering 
like the wings of frightened birds, and they 
were glad that the battle had been so far away! 

With the last note of the final song, the boys 
rushed from the Lodge with glad shouts, to 
join in a sham battle; but the little girls went 
soberly into the wigwams to make sure that 
their doll papooses were safe from the enemy. 
As Pigeon Wing patted her little wooden doll 
she whispered, “Keep still, little baby, don’t 
cry, or the ’Gansetts will scalp you!” 

The braves decided to leave the discussion 
concerning the prisoner until after another 
sleep. While Miantomono, too proud to plead 
for his life, sat in stoical silence awaiting his 
punishment, another great feast was prepared 
as the sun sank to rest and the black curtain of 
night was drawn over the camp. Dancing and 
songs of victory continued until a faint light in 
the east warned the warriors that the Sun God 
would soon come forth from his wigwam in 
the sky. 




XXX. 

Uncas Keeps the Treaty 



Following the two nights of revelry after 
the battle, the warriors leisurely ate their 
morning meal of ground corn boiled with small 
pieces of fish and a few dried berries for flavor¬ 
ing. At a later hour than usual, the drum 
called the men to the Council Lodge for a de¬ 
cision concerning the punishment of Mianto- 
nomo. The Sagamores, or lesser chiefs, with 
their warriors from the small scattering vil¬ 
lages in the forest toward the sunset from the 
Sachem’s stronghold, some of whom arrived 
too late to take part in the fight, had remained 
for the council. 

The same ceremonies were observed as on 
the previous day but the occasion called for 
more solemnity. Each event had a special 
ceremony of the pipe, so when Uncas raised it 
he solemnly prayed, “Father Sun, give light to 
our minds that our thoughts may not take the 
wrong trail,” then pointing it downward 


243 









244 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


prayed, “Mother Earth, give us wisdom that 
your bosom may not be stained with the blood 
of hatred.” After lighting and placing it 
against his lips (for the stem of the calumet 
was never taken into the mouth) he puffed it 
in the direction of the Four Winds and passed 
it to the oldest sagamore. 

After the drum-beats, rising with great dig¬ 
nity he folded his arms and began, “My 
Sachems, Chiefs of the Council and men: as 
we decide the fate of the royal captive—al¬ 
though he is a treacherous enemy—let not 
hatred alone, rule your hearts. Speak with wis¬ 
dom for, while our hearts may burn with desire 
to bind him to the torture stake, or our lips 
thirst to drink his blood, remember that with 
our decision may rest the fate of our women 
and children. I have spoken.” 

The drum sounded and one of the old coun¬ 
cilors arose, saying, “Great Sunjum, because 
our prisoner is a man of rank shall we let the 
blood in our veins turn to water? Has he not 
spread false reports for five winters about con¬ 
spiracies? Do you not remember the time 
when, because of his reports concerning the 
division of the Pequot captives, the Paleface 
Father at Suckiaug summoned you both to ap¬ 
pear before the magistrates? 





Waweeqaw and His Bear Claw Necklace 


245 



246 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“Have you forgotten how he set out with his 
wife and children, and accompanied by sev¬ 
eral sagamores with one hundred and fifty 
warriors? Before our Sunjum, detained by 
lameness, could go, did not the Narragansett 
lie to the Palefaces, saying that we had robbed 
them? Has he not tried, many times, to make 
the Father distrust your friendship? I have 
spoken.” 

The drum announced another speaker, who 
rose questioning, after the usual formal ad¬ 
dress, “Is it not probable that Miantonomo 
bribed with wampum, the Pequot who 
wounded your arm several moons ago? We 
have heard that (after he ran away from here) 
he put the Pequot to death, so he could tell no 
tales. I have spoken.” 

Following the beat of the drum, Wawee- 
quaw rose to remind him of a recent treachery, 
saying, “My brother must not forget that Mian¬ 
tonomo probably connived with the River 
Chief to end your life, for Sequassen told the 
Palefaces that the Narragansetts would help 
defend him. I have spoken.” 

In the pause following the drum-beat, a very 
old man slowly rose and although his voice 
quavered, his eyes were flashing as he said, 




UNCAS KEEPS THE TREATY 


247 


“The Narragansetts have violated a custom 
older than the times of our grandfathers and 
their father’s fathers, for they sent no slave 
bearing arrows, or a war club painted red to 
declare war; nor an ambassador with a wam¬ 
pum belt having tomahawks in the design, to 
signify war. I have spoken.” 

When the chiefs had finished speaking, Un- 
cas arose; drawing himself to his great height, 
he began with his usual eloquence, “My Chiefs 
and Councilors, you have spoken truly of the 
treachery of the Narragansett. Our prisoner 
deserves every torture that you have wished to 
heap upon him; however the word of your 
Sunjum must not be broken! 

“Five springtimes ago, according to the 
notches cut in the Time Stick, during the Moon 
of the Corn Planting, your Chief with thirty- 
seven men, some of whom are here today, took 
the trail to the settlement at Suckiaug to tell 
the Palefaces of our troubles with the Narra¬ 
gansetts. With the Father, called Governor 
Haynes, we went on the long trail to the coun¬ 
try of the Mattachuseuk to see the Great Father 
of the Palefaces, Governor Winthrop, atShaw- 
mut. 

“We carried a present of twenty fathoms of 



248 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


wampum. The Council would not receive it 
until the Sun had twice made his circuit of the 
sky trail, when I promised to submit to them 
our quarrels with the Narragansetts. Then 
my offering was received. To seal the peace 
between my Mohiksinug and the Palefaces, I 
appeared before their powerful Father and 
laying my hand upon my breast spoke these 
words: ‘This heart is not mine, but yours; I 
have no men; they are all yours; command 
any difficult thing, I will do it; I will not be¬ 
lieve any Indian’s word against the English; 
if any shall kill an Englishman, I will put him 
to death, were he ever so dear to me.’ 

“Then the Great Father gave me a red coat; 
he paid the cost of the stay for all my men; 
gave us corn and a writing to protect us on 
our homeward journey, so I came home feeling 
very joyful. If we break our promises, the 
Palefaces will bring more warriors across the 
Great Salt Sea and their strange weapons will 
breathe the death fire upon us, as they did 
upon the Pequots. The word of the Sunjum 
of Mohiks must not be broken! The Palefaces 
must decide upon the punishment of Mianto- 
nomo. Behold the promise of the Treaty Belt! 

I have spoken.” 




UNCAS KEEPS THE TREATY 


249 


His voice rang with decision in the closing 
sentences. Majestic, he stood motionless, with 
arm upraised, holding in his right hand the 
long wampum belt which extended to the 
ground. 

Moved by the truth of his forceful eloquence, 
when the vote was taken there were no dissent¬ 
ing voices; this was fortunate, as in important 
matters the majority could not decide, but 
every one in the council must agree. After 
more discussion, it was decided to consult with 
the Paleface Father at Suckiaug before send¬ 
ing the prisoner to him under a strong guard. 

In the meantime many of the men had been 
fishing and additional camp fires had been 
built outside the wigwams for preparing the 
large feast for the extra warriors. When the 
curtain of the Long Lodge was lifted, little 
scaffolds held the mackerel cooking over the 
hot coals, and cakes of cornmeal mixed with 
raspberries were baking in the ashes. 

At one side in a large hole filled with hot 
stones, from which the fire had been raked, 
juicy clams were already giving forth an aroma 
very welcome to the braves, who were far more 
tired from sitting all day on the mats, with only 
their mantles to support their backs as they 



250 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


wrapped them around their raised knees, than 
they would have been after a long chase. 

When thanks had been given for the bounti¬ 
ful feast, the royal prisoner was not forgotten, 
for Uncas sent generous portions to Mianto- 
nomo. It was long after the mantle of night 
had descended over the fiery glow from the set¬ 
ting sun, and refreshing breezes from the Little 
Salt Sea had tempered the midsummer heat, 
before the feast ended. According to custom, 
Uncas again gave thanks at the close of the 
repast. Who can say, but what mingled with 
thanks for the food was a feeling of gratitude 
that he did not have to decide the fate of the 
enemy Chieftain? 






XXXI. 

The Departure 


Following the battle there was more than 
the usual activity about the camp for most of 
the scouts had remained to guard it more se¬ 
curely against possible hostilities by the Narra- 
gansetts. 

The events of the fight were related each 
nightfall by the warriors as they gathered 
about the camp fires. 

Although it was well concealed, Puppom- 
pogs grew more jealous and bitter as he real¬ 
ized that lasting fame would be given to Tanta- 
quidgeon for hindering the flight of the captive 
while his own share seemed to be remembered 
less frequently. 

The youths listened in admiration to every 
syllable that was uttered by Tantaquidgeon, 
Puppompogs and the lesser heroes; whenever 
any of them spoke a word of greeting, the 
youths felt highly honored and the maidens 
grew radiant at the notice of the distinguished 
braves. 


251 







252 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Several of the younger men, who had gained 
sufficient honor, began tentative wooings as 
they met the groups of girls. Tantaquidgeon, 
unspoiled by his honors and not wishing to 
have his attentions accepted solely because of 
enthusiasm inspired by his good fortune in 
battle spoke cordially to all but did not appear 
to seek the favor of any particular one; al¬ 
though a keen observer might have seen that 
his eyes brightened and his voice softened, 
when he exchanged even the most common¬ 
place words with Little Bird. Puppompogs, 
more haughty, also bestowed his attentions 
equally, except when Tantaquidgeon was 
present, then he devoted himself to the girl 
who, he knew, was admired by his rival. 

Piqued that her hero of the trail did not seem 
inclined to make further advances—now that 
his new honors gave him an opportunity to 
do so—and flattered by the attentions of the 
older man, she accepted the admiration of 
Puppompogs with all the pleasure that was 
considered appropriate with modesty of de¬ 
portment. Occum, too, showed pleasure and 
welcomed him with due honor when the brave 
stopped to visit with the groups of young 
people gathered at his wigwam. 



THE DEPARTURE 


253 


While she said nothing, Jeets Bodansha 
noted that the attentions of Puppompogs were 
more pronounced when his rival was present; 
she also observed that the younger brave, 
whom she liked better, was ill at ease, at the 
pleasure shown by her daughter in the compli¬ 
ments of the older, rival warrior. 

The maidens having no special suitor cast 
envious looks at Little Bird, thinking that she 
had won the affection of the older man; hav¬ 
ing greater admiration for the younger hero, 
each secretly hoped that she might be the 
maiden of his choice. Although there were no 
special ceremonials, all the mothers were 
aware that their daughters invented frequent 
excuses for wearing their best robes and orna¬ 
ments. 

Outwardly, the daily routine went on as 
usual, but an undercurrent of unrest aroused 
by the recent warfare and the petty jealousies 
and rivalries that resulted, threatened the 
friendly peace of the camp. 

During the many sleeps that had passed 
since the decision to leave the punishment of 
Miantonomo to the Paleface magistrates, the 
camp had been thrown into confusion several 
times by the appearance of messengers bring- 



254 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


ing packages of wampum for the prisoner, or 
garments to replace the stained skins he was 
wearing when captured. 

Uncas remembered the kindness of Mianto- 
nomo many winters before when, after one of 
his many rebellions against Sassacus, and flee¬ 
ing from his wrath, he had placed himself un¬ 
der the protection of the Narragansetts. So 
the captive was shown the respect due to his 
rank and kindly treated by Uncas and his wife. 
In return for their courteous treatment he had 
given them presents of wampum, and 
prompted by his generous disposition, or se¬ 
cretly hoping to secure release, he also gave 
wampum to some of the councilors. 

The time arrived for the prisoner to be con¬ 
ducted to Suckiaug, so the women and children 
had another glimpse of him. Miantonomo was 
very tall and fine looking and carried himself 
proudly, although his hands were tied behind 
his back. While not permitted to adorn his 
scalplock with eagle feathers, he was wearing 
a handsome mantle and moccasins embroid¬ 
ered with porcupine quills. 

Uncas, no less tall and somewhat larger, was 
still more imposing, for he wore his feathers 
and a summer mantle made from the skins of 
wild duck. Ornaments of bone were in his 



THE DEPARTURE 


255 


ears, and bands of wampum about his neck 
and arms. As the occasion demanded it, about 
his shoulders and falling to his knees was the 
wampum belt with the symbols of the treaty 
made five winters before, when the Mohegans 
and Narragansetts agreed not to make war 
upon each other without first consulting the 
magistrates. 

Fifty braves, among them Waweequaw, 
Tantaquidgeon, Puppompogs and Awausseus, 
their bodies ornately painted and dressed in 
their best skins, acted as a guard to prevent 
the escape of the captive and to honor their 
Sachem in the presence of the magistrates. The 
entire camp gathered to watch the departure 
and many admiring glances followed the stal¬ 
wart warriors. A feeling of relief came with 
the disappearance of the braves beyond the 
ridge of hills, for apprehension had been felt 
that the Narragansetts might attempt a sur¬ 
prise to liberate their War Chieftain. 

Relaxation and merry making followed; the 
older youths were taking their rackets and 
starting for the goal posts for the favorite ball 
games, while the little boys worked off some 
of their exuberance playing “Follow My 
Leader,” with Crow Feather directing, who 



256 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


carried them through most of the harmless an¬ 
tics known to Indian boys. 

The younger men, playing “Pu-in” were 
dancing around a mat and waving above their 
heads, in unison to the chant, bundles of ten 
stalks of wild hemp. Mingled with the sylla¬ 
bles of the song could be heard the voice of 
the leader counting a point, when a lucky 
player guessed which bundle contained eleven 
stalks. Already the skilful ones looked very 
fantastic with the long counters thrust through 
the holes in their ears or in their hair. Around 
and around they danced, continually chanting; 
never losing the rhythm as, at the signal of the 
leader, each threw down his bundle and 
stopped to take up another to continue the 
game. 

While keeping lookout for a possible attack, 
the older men, engaged in a favorite game of 
dice, were sitting in pairs; between each couple 
was a wooden bowl holding five beavers' teeth, 
some painted with the crescent moon or stars 
and others with one side black. As they tossed 
the bowl, above the rattle of the falling dice 
sounded the voices of the players calling, “Ne- 
qut” (One) as a point was won; or an exultant 
“Baiog” (Ten) when a particularly skilful toss 



THE DEPARTURE 


257 


caused the dice to fall in the winning combina¬ 
tion of symbols. Occasional discussion arose 
as to whether all the dice had moved and a 
score could be counted. 

The women and girls decided to go down to 
the point, where refreshing breezes tempered 
the sultry heat, and sit under the trees. It was 
an attractive sight as they gathered in little in¬ 
timate groups; the mothers decorating with 
quills, or beads, the clothing for their families 
and glancing fondly at the little children as 
they rolled about on the grass; the young girls 
chattering about the designs, while beading 
their head bands or small birch boxes for hold¬ 
ing their ornaments; and the little girls de¬ 
murely playing with their wooden, or corn cob 
dolls or directing the first toddling steps of 
the little children. 

Anitassis, vying with the humming birds 
for which she was named, darted among the 
groups and finally threw herself down on the 
ground beside her mother, stretching out her 
feet in front. As this was considered very bad 
manners, her mother, Waweequaw’s wife, 
said, “Natanis, have you forgotten your man¬ 
ners? Boys may sit with their feet stretched 
out, except during ceremonials, or with their 
knees drawn up; but girls must always sit 




258 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


squarely on the ground, with their feet closely 
curled around on one side. It is not modest for 
girls to sit in any other way.” 

In one group were women of the Sachem’s 
household; little Oweneca (destined to be the 
future Sachem) who was three winters old, 
was having a frolic, running from his mother to 
his little brother to rattle the shells and bone 
ornaments hung on the bow of the cradle 
board. 

By and by, one little girl tired of playing 
with her doll, lisped, “Nannang, p’ease tell me 
a ’tory?” 

“No dear, I cannot tell you a story until 
Winter comes,” replied the mother, “because 
many, many Winters ago, before the tribe 
came to live on the bank of this River, a law 
was made that stories must not be told in the 
Blossom Time, but only in the Winter after the 
birds have flown to the south.” 

“Oh, Nannang,” begged the child, “p’ease 
tell Winter to hurry.” 

The Sun had disappeared like a ball of fire 
behind the trees, and the cloud wigwams, even 
in the eastern sky, were tinged with rosy colors. 
So the groups separated into families and, re¬ 
gretful that the happy holiday was over, 
walked slowly back to their homes. 




When Uncas and his followers reached the 
territory of their allies, bordering on the Long 
River, canoes were borrowed from the Po- 
dunks for the trip across to Suckiaug, or Harte- 
f ord Towne, as it had been renamed by the Col¬ 
onists. They watched with interest the ap¬ 
proach of the small boat used for a ferry, as it 
passed them on its return to the eastern bank. 

The captive was conducted along the broad 
road, that the settlers had hewn from the pri¬ 
meval forest, to the knoll, not far from the 
landing, where stood the Meeting House and at 
its foot the Jail or House of Correction, that 
had been completed only three summers be¬ 
fore. Here he was left under guard while his 
captors returned to their friends for the sleep¬ 
time. 

The next morning all appeared at the small 
square, frame Meeting House, which was used 
also for civil proceedings. It was a novel sight 


259 









260 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


to some of the younger braves, who never be¬ 
fore had accompanied the Chieftain, and their 
keen eyes noted every detail from clapboards 
and enclosed porch, to the pyramidal roof with 
a turret, in which was hung a bell. Once inside, 
the benches, the raised seats designed for seat¬ 
ing the guard during the Sabbath worship, and 
the pulpit attracted their attention, although 
viewed with impassive faces. 

When the magistrates had assembled, Mian- 
tonomo was brought in under guard, and, the 
formalities over, Uncas was called before them 
to state his errand. He addressed the Gover¬ 
nor : “Father of the Palefaces and Councilors, 
I have kept the treaty on this belt; the Narra- 
gansett attacked me without warning. Al¬ 
though he is my enemy, I do not wish to take 
advantage of so great a Sunjum in his mis¬ 
fortune. I do not know the right trail, so I have 
brought him here for you to decide upon his 
punishment. I have spoken.” 

Miantonomo was allowed to plead in his 
own defense: “Father of the Palefaces,” he 
began, “I complained to you of the attack upon 
my ally, the Chief of the River Tribes; I also 
gave notice to the Great Father at Shawmut. 
He replied that if the Mohiksinug had done me 



MOON OF THE HOT SUNS 


261 


or my friends any wrong and refused satisfac¬ 
tion, the Palefaces would let me choose my 
own course. I gave notice twice. Did I not 
keep the treaty? I have spoken.” 

After discussion among themselves, the in¬ 
terpreter informed Uncas that the matter must 
be left to the Commissioners of all the Colon¬ 
ists, who would meet in Shawmut, or Boston, 
at the waning of the Harvest Moon. The cap¬ 
tive pleaded with the magistrates that he might 
be left under their guard until his punishment 
had been decided upon. 

Then Miantonomo, so noble in appearance, 
so haughty and stern that all his nobles and at¬ 
tendants had trembled in his presence; so as¬ 
sured, that thirty moons before, he had twice 
shown disrespect to the Governor by refusing 
to treat through Pequot interpreters; so re¬ 
gardful of his rank, that only twelve moons 
earlier, indignant because not invited to the 
table of the magistrates at Boston, he had re¬ 
fused to dine with his men until the Governor 
had sent him food from his own table, was now 
lodged a prisoner in the small jail, while Uncas 
and his- warriors returned home. 

Following their return the feeling of appre¬ 
hension vanished for a time, for it was felt that 



262 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 



A Flute Player 

the Narragansetts would not dare to continue 
their warfare and arouse the displeasure of the 
Palefaces while the Chieftain was under their 
control. 

Meanwhile the daily routine of life went on; 
the men going out for their fishing or making 
frequent trips to the Little Salt Sea for the 





MOON OF THE HOT SUNS 


263 


trapping of lobsters, which were considered a 
great delicacy, either roasted or dried for win¬ 
ter use. The warriors sharpened new flints to 
replace the arrow heads lost in battle. Huckle¬ 
berries were ripe and with gathering those, cul¬ 
tivating the corn, the beans and the squashes, 
the women found the time none too long for 
their duties. 

The children keenly enjoyed the hot, sultry 
days for whenever the sun bui ned too greatly 
they would dash down the bank and into the 
water. While the boys swam like frogs, or in 
any fashion they chose, there was a very strict 
custom which even the little girls were obliged 
to observe. So Little Bird had taught Pigeon 
Wing to swim very gracefully with her little 
feet held close together, swinging them back 
and forth sidewise similar to the swimming of 
a fish. With the first distant rumble of thunder 
they would scamper up the bank, for not even 
the fiercest brave liked the approach of the 
God of Thunder and the children especially 
preferred to have the vivid Serpent of the Sky 
remain invisible. 

Contests were frequent now that a large 
number of scouts were released from duty. One 
day when the younger braves were engaged in 




264 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


a game of racket ball, they heard a shrill, faint 
cry, followed by a chorus of girlish shrieks, 
“Help! Help!” 

The players rushed from the goal field and 
when they reached the bank saw a bevy of 
frightened girls swimming toward the shore; 
some, half paralyzed with fear, were making 
little headway and the braves plunged in to 
assist them. Tantaquidgeon with long power¬ 
ful strokes swam past those near the shore, for 
his keen eyes had detected two heads bobbing 
about farther down the stream. Some of the 
mothers appeared and an expression of ter¬ 
rible anxiety came over the face of Jeets Bo- 
dansha when she discovered that her daughters 
were not among the girls whom the braves 
were assisting shoreward. 

The rest of the men had looked no further 
than the frightened group and some precious 
time had elapsed before the incoherent explan¬ 
ations of the girls revealed the fact that while 
the children were frolicking near the shore 
Pigeon Wing had started alone to join her sis¬ 
ter in the deeper water. The tide had turned 
and the current was making the return danger¬ 
ous. Little Bird had not seen her but, hearing 
a faint cry, saw Pigeon Wing being carried 



MOON OF THE HOT SUNS 


265 


down the stream! Giving one call for help, she 
had started in pursuit. 

Several of the men again plunged into the 
water and met Tantaquidgeon returning with 
the child. Shouting to the foremost swimmer, 
“Come! Take her!” he gave the unconscious 
girl into his care and turned to swim back to 
Little Bird who, bravely struggling, was be¬ 
coming exhausted and making no headway 
against the current. Calling out to her, “Cour¬ 
age,” his long, swift strokes soon brought him 
to her side. Directing her to turn on her back, 
he placed both hands under her arms and, 
swimming backward, pulled her toward the 
shore. 

Other braves now reached them, but he re¬ 
fused their help, only telling them, “Swim 
close.” When the shallow water was reached, 
taking her in his arms, he carried her to the 
women who were waiting on the bank. By 
this time his own strength was exhausted, so he 
went a few steps and laid down under the 
shelter of a bush where none might see the 
labored breathing that shook his shoulders. 

While Little Bird was being towed to safety, 
some of the men assisted the women who were 
rolling Pigon Wing; then some of the women 



266 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


chafed her chilled body, one ran for warm 
skins to wrap around her and another brought 
a restoring drink made from herbs. With the 
first flutter of her eyelids, she was carried to 
the wigwam and heated stones placed about 
her. By this time Little Bird had regained suf¬ 
ficient strength to be assisted up the bank, the 
voice of the Shaman could be heard inside the 
wigwam as he performed the incantations to 
drive away the evil spirits which might prevent 
the recovery of the child. 

During the last of the moon there was time 
for more relaxation before the celebration of 
the Corn Feast, so the warriors continued their 
lovemaking as the girls in small groups went 
shyly down to the spring with their birch bark 
pails. Sometimes a lover concealed himself be¬ 
hind a tree to play a love song on his reed flute 
or to stop the maiden of his choice for a mo¬ 
ment of conversation, while the other girls 
stood aside as chaperones. 

Tantaquidgeon was the greatest hero of all. 
By his attentions any of the girls would have 
been honored. He seemed embarrassed by the 
notoriety recently gained and did not appear 
to notice any particular maiden, or declare his 
intentions to marry, rather to the surprise of 



MOON OF THE HOT SUNS 


26 ? 


his friends. But Jeets Bodansha smiled quietly, 
when he began to play on his flute, not far from 
her wigwam, the melody of the old love song: 

“The yellow birds swing in the locust trees, 
One sings to his mate of love; 

He clings and sways on the fluttering leaves 
While she sits on a twig above. 

As he trills and trills the joyous lay 
In tones so sweet and clear, 

I wish that my flute had tones as sweet 
To tell of love to my dear.” 

Sometimes he stopped to speak with Little 
Bird when she was accompanied by her 
younger sister, who showed for him a fondness 
nearly approaching adoration, since he had 
saved her life. As he devoted most of his at¬ 
tention to the child, Little Bird could not under¬ 
stand his attitude, for although his eyes were 
eloquent with feeling he spoke no complimen¬ 
tary words. 

Jeets Bodansha suspected the reason for his 
reluctance, and that he refrained from wooing 
because he did not wish to be accepted solely 
from gratitude on account of the recent rescue. 
She hoped that the good fortune of such a 




268 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


noble husband might come to her daughter, 
whose modest, attractive manners were very 
desirable qualities for a wife, but like a wise 
mother, kept her observations to herself. 





— - XXXIII. 

n 


Miantonomo Sent on the 


1 — 

Long Trail _ 


1 

1 



Fortunately the crops had been gathered 
from the fields and the lucious wild grapes lay 
drying on scaffolds near the wigwam, before 
the time when the fading moon hung in the sky 
after the dawn had parted the curtains of the 
sleeptime, for a runner came from the Paleface 
Governor at Suckiaug to summon Uncas to ap¬ 
pear with a force of men. 

While he was being served with food the 
runner was questioned concerning the fate of 
Miantonomo, but he could tell them only that 
he was still under guard and that the commis¬ 
sioners had returned the day before from 
Shawmut. 

Uncas, accompanied by his brother, Wawee- 
quaw, Puppompogs, Tantaquidgeon, and 
others of his most fearless warriors, departed 
hastily in response to the message. For the 
duration of four sleeps, the people were in sus¬ 
pense and wonderment, feeling consternation 
at whatever might have been the decision. 


269 








270 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


When the braves returned, Uncas sum¬ 
moned his Council. When the pipe had been 
smoked and the necessary formalities ob¬ 
served, he briefly told them: 

“The Paleface magistrates brought back 
word from Shawmut—which they call Boston 
—that Miantonomo was to be put to death. 
Your Sunjum was ordered to take him into our 
own territory with two of their warriors, whom 
they call soldiers, to accompany us as wit¬ 
nesses. We did not put the Narragansett to 
torture, or tell him his fate. When we reached 
that part of the trail in the dense forest this 
side of the Podunk settlement, at my signal, my 
Brother gave him a quick blow on the back of 
his head with a tomahawk, killing him in¬ 
stantly. Miantonomo has gone on The Long 
Trail!” 

Grave discussion followed, concerning the 
probability of attack when the enemy learned 
of the death of their Chieftain. Fasts were or¬ 
dained, and the rituals observed as the pipe of 
loyalty was passed about among the scouts 
who had volunteered for this new duty. 

During these ceremonial days no word of 
love could be spoken. Regretful that he had 
delayed in carrying presents to Little Bird and 



MIANTONOMO SENT ON THE. LONG TRAIL 271 

her father, Tantaquidgeon, with a heavy heart, 
departed with a large number of the most fear¬ 
less braves to guard the ford of the Showtuck. 
Puppompogs was sent toward the west to inter¬ 
cept any raids from the River tribes. 

The bravest hearts felt dread at the thought 
of what fate might overtake the camp when it 
was left weakly protected during the two 
moons of the hunting season. It was true that 
the Palefaces had promised protection but the 
Narragansetts might not give warning to the 
Fathers of intended warfare. Fearing the 
worst, they questioned, “Might not Pessacus 
plan a stealthy attack to avenge the death of 
his brother?” 





A golden haze overhung the landscape, 
deepening to purple on the far distant hills. 
There had been only the lightest of frosts and 
the vivid scarlet of other years was absent in 
the foliage. The maple leaves of bright yellow, 
showing only a tinge of red in their veinings, 
were glowing as if they held imprisoned some 
of the rays from Father Sun. Overarching the 
trails, they transformed the narrow paths as if 
by a magical touch. The sunlight filtering 
through the flickering leaves seemed to change 
the otherwise invisible dust particles into shim¬ 
mering, glowing mist. 

The Hunting Moon had tipped her crescent 
in the sky so a pouch could not be hung upon 
the lower end; with this sign of a dry moon and 
fair weather for hunting, the men began half¬ 
heartedly to prepare their traps, and went out 
with bows and arrows for small game in the 
vicinity of the camp. 


272 










THE PALEFACE SOLDIERS 


273 


Traps for wild turkeys were set to avoid 
spoiling the plumage, for the feathers were 
greatly prized for making summer mantles. 
Duck, partridges, wild turkeys and rabbits 
enough for their daily needs were taken. But 
the question of how to supply the venison to be 
dried for the winter and the large skins neces¬ 
sary for warmth, without leaving the camp un¬ 
protected and endangering the lives of the 
women and children, became a serious prob¬ 
lem. 

When a hunter went out in the morning he 
wondered if his wife and children would greet 
him at sundown or whether he would find his 
home a pile of smoking ashes. As the hunters 
departed, each woman questioned whether her 
loved brave would return again. 

After ten notches had been cut on the Time 
Stick, as the Sun, far down behind the trees 
was tinting the cloud wigwams with brilliant 
colorings, a strange group appeared coming 
down the hill in the direction of the camp. As 
the light touched the shining coverings of their 
heads, and the strange implements over their 
shoulders, the women and children thought 
they must be Moiguwag (witch doctors) in 
some kind of strange dress. When they came 




274 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


nearer, some of the older men, who had fought 
in the Pequot War, told them they were Pale¬ 
face warriors and the implements over their 
shoulders were the weapons that breathed fire. 

At first great terror was felt. Then a scout in¬ 
tercepted them and ran back with the assur¬ 
ance that they had come in peace and to defend 
the camp. The women and girls went into the 
wigwams but Crow Feather, Weemo Skee- 
sucks and the other young boys, grasping their 
bows, stood sturdily beside their older brothers 
and watched the strangers as they approached. 
The old men and youths were trying to restrain 
and quiet the dogs who, barking furiously, 
needed only a sign to attack the strange in¬ 
vaders. 

As Pigeon Wing ran into the wigwam she 
took her doll and fastened it on its tiny cradle 
board and, placing it on her back, wrapped 
her skin mantle around her, entirely hiding the 
doll from sight. When she ventured to peep 
out, the soldiers were marching past into the 
stockade. There three of the old councilors 
stood ready to receive them and to conduct 
them to the wigwam of Uncas where, awaiting 
his return, they were served food by the women 
of his household. 




THE PALEFACE SOLDIERS 


275 


When the Sachem returned, the interpreter 
informed him that Pessacus, the young brother 
who had succeeded Miantonomo as Chieftain 
of the Narragansetts, had sent to the Governor 
asking permission to make war and avenge the 
death of his brother. The demand had been 
refused, but fearing that he might disregard 
the treaty, the magistrates had decided to send 
the soldiers for protection and others would 
follow. 

Uncas retained the officer and another sol¬ 
dier in his own wigwam, assigning others to his 
brother and other sagamores. As Occum was 
a man of importance, two of the eight soldiers 
were lodged in his wigwam, and he led them 
to the place of honor at the farther end beyond 
the hearth fire. 

After a few sleeptimes, before the camp had 
time to become accustomed to the odd appear¬ 
ance of the newcomers, a strange kind of craft 
was seen coming up the River than proved to 
be a shallop with six more soldiers who had 
been sent from Quinnipiack. * 

The soldiers appeared very strange and 
clumsy. Over their short, thick coats they wore 
a corslet, either of metal or cloth heavily 
wadded; knee breeches with long woolen 


*New Haven. 





276 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


stockings and loose-topped military boots, or 
heavy brogans with pewter buckles. Even more 
amusing to the children than the helmets that 
they put on when going on guard in the wilder¬ 
ness, were the broad hats with tall pointed 
crowns, which they wore about the camp. 

It was not many days before the boys forgot 
their shyness and hung about watching the sol¬ 
diers while they melted lead in the fire and 
poured it into moulds, making their bullets, or 
cleaned the barrels of their muskets. The sol¬ 
diers, homesick in such strange surroundings 
and lonely without their little brothers and sis¬ 
ters, were so kind that the children lost their 
fear, and began to play some of the games that 
the men had taught them. 

The military drills were watched with inter¬ 
est and one day the men saw an amusing com¬ 
pany of infantry marching in and out between 
the trees; for Crow Feather and Weemo Skee- 
sucks were leading a group of boys, all naked 
as usual, but wearing something made of birch 
bark that resembled the high crowned, broad 
brimmed hats. Every boy was armed with a 
stick over his shoulder for a musket, and the 
two leaders also wore strips of bark crossed 
over their breasts for bandoliers, to hold their 
swords made of fagots. 




THE PALEFACE SOLDIERS 


277 


Reassured by the presence of the guard, and 
the knowledge that hostile Indians would fear 
to attack them, the men in groups accompanied 
by two or three soldiers went farther into the 
forests, setting the traps and building fires in 
the tall grass to drive the animals from their 
hiding places. 

On the day of the first large hunt the camp 
was astir at dawn. Breakfast eaten, the hunt¬ 
ers gathered in groups united by clan or blood, 
to build the hunting fire. By the time the first 
rays of Father Sun gleamed from the parted 
curtains of his wigwam, the rituals had been 
observed and the hunters were ready for the 
forest trail. 

When they had penetrated beyond the traps 
set for small game, a hunter in the foremost 
group spied a herd of deer grazing and gave a 
silent signal. The groups of hunters separated 
and, with stealthy steps, took a roundabout 
course, lighting fires in a large circle to cut off 
the retreat of the animals. 

Alarmed, a large doe raised her head, hold¬ 
ing it gracefully poised for an instant to listen. 
Detecting a sound and scenting the hunters, 
she bounded away, arousing the herd. They 
followed; meeting the fires they turned 




278 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


around, leaping about in every direction in 
their attempts to escape. The braves rushed 
between the fires, brandishing their bows and 
yelling, until the graceful animals, dashing 
wildly, blinded by the smoke and frightened 
by the tumult, became an easy mark for the 
arrows; and with the impossibility of escape, 
making the chase shorter than when they were 
taken unawares by a lone hunter. 

When the hunting season approached, some 
of the scouts had been recalled and their places 
taken by others, so Puppompogs and Tanta- 
quidgeon chanced to be included in one group 
of hunters. When they started, each walked 
with his more intimate friends, avoiding any 
direct contact with each other and, while mak¬ 
ing the circle, they were widely separated. 
When the hunt was finished, during their 
search to identify their arrows in the fallen 
game, they met over the carcass of a fine speci¬ 
men. 

“This deer is mine,” announced Puppom¬ 
pogs, pulling his arrow from the flank of the 
animal and indicating his mark on the shaft. 

“But here is my arrow imbedded under the 
shoulder. It is near the heart/' replied Tanta- 
quidgeon. 



THE PALEFACE SOLDIERS 


279 



‘Here is My Arrow. It is Near the Heart.” 


“My arrow made a fatal wound and caused 
death from internal bleeding,” claimed the 
other. 

Tantaquidgeon, indignant that the older 
brave should attempt to defraud him of his 
game, hotly replied. In the controversy that 
followed, each grew more angry from the bitter 
taunts and recriminations. A serious quarrel 
threatened, but Waweequaw, Occum and 
Black Bear appeared from different directions, 
attracted by the angry voices. 







280 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


Waweequaw, addressing Puppompogs, in¬ 
quired, “Why do you quarrel?” 

“About the deer. It is mine,” was the reply 
as he pointed to the wound. 

With a questioning look toward the younger 
brave, “What have you to say?” 

Tantaquidgeon stooped to indicate the posi¬ 
tion of his arrow as he asked, “Did not my ar¬ 
row reach a vital spot?” 

Puppompogs hastened to give his reason for 
asserting that his arrow had severed an artery. 

Waweequaw declared, nodding toward Oc- 
cum, “The oldest hunter shall decide.” 

“It is possible that such a wound might cause 
slow death, but the other arrow must have 
killed instantly. The game is his,” affirmed 
Occum, indicating Tantaquidgeon. 

Noting the chagrin of the older brave, Black 
Bear turned to him saying, “Over there,” nod¬ 
ding toward the north, “I saw your arrow in a 
larger deer. It was lying on the bank with its 
hind quarters in the brook.” 

With scowling looks Puppompogs turned in 
the direction indicated, muttering angry ejac¬ 
ulations over his ill luck in killing a deer in the 
water, for custom necessitated giving the hide 
to the Sachem. He desired new mantles and 



THE PALEFACE SOLDIERS 


281 


soon would need new moccasins, as none had 
been made since the death of his young wife. 
He realized that his old mother had become 
so feeble that the labor of dressing hides would 
be a severe task for her strength. He muttered, 
“She can hardly provide for ourselves, without 
having to dress one for him!” 

His anger was increased from the chagrin 
of being caught in trying to claim the animal 
which he knew rightfully belonged to his rival, 
and he grew more incensed with him for de¬ 
fending his rights until the others came. “He 
has all the good luck!” Then a grim smile over¬ 
spread his face as he exclaimed, “But he has 
been in only one fight!” 

The others circled about between the trees 
seeking their game, leaving Tantaquidgeon 
alone to perform the ceremonial of the hunting 
charm. These rites fulfilled, he bound it 
around the animal, arranged the burden on his 
shoulders with the strap across his breast and 
started homeward. He was conscious that his 
trophy of the chase added to his distinction, 
thus bringing him a step nearer to the right of 
seeking the maiden whom he was beginning 
to love. 




XXXV. 

Moon of the Falling Leaf 


With propitious signs for fair weather dur¬ 
ing the second moon of the hunting, a council 
was held and the decision was reached that a 
few of the families, with half the soldiers for 
a guard, should go to the stronghold sometimes 
occupied by Waweequaw, on the high hill over¬ 
looking the junction of the Showtuck with the 
Yantuck. It was easily defended, for on three 
sides the ascent was very steep. The spot was 
greatly loved by the older members of the 
tribe, not only for the beautiful view down the 
Great River, but also because it was so near 
the picturesque fall of the Mishi Yantuk (Loud 
Voiced River) and the sacred ground where 
their kinsfolk were buried. 

As Occum was one of those to take his fam¬ 
ily, Jeets Bodansha rolled the temporary bark 
covering and mats for the wigwam and select¬ 
ing a few cooking utensils necessary for the 
short stay, loaded them into the great dugout 
and the brief journey began. 


282 







MOON OF THE FALLING LEAF 


283 


When they approached the basin of the Yan- 
tuck, the boys were wild with excitement at 
seeing the place where, after the great battle, 
the Narragansetts had tried to jump across the 
ravine. The heart of Little Bird beat more 
quickly as they neared the trail over which the 
youthful hero had pursued the fleeing Mianto- 
nomo. There was little time to look about 
then, for all the belongings had to be carried 
up through the Trail to the fortress, and the 
interior of the wigwam cleared of leaves be¬ 
fore the poles, that remained from year to 
year, could be covered. 

All was made snug and warm before dark. 
As her father finished twirling the fire stick 
and her mother was kindling the fire with the 
precious sparks, Little Pigeon Wing, unaccus¬ 
tomed to such a wonderful view of the sunset, 
with the crimson reflection in the water, ran to 
the entrance calling in great excitement, 
“Nannang,Nannang! Come! Hurry! Some¬ 
body is lighting big camp fires in the sky and 
the River is on fire!” 

While all the food and hunting was shared, 
the rights for hunting certain tracts were as¬ 
signed to different families. These descended 
from father to son and the boundaries were in- 



284 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


dicated by the streams, convenient boulders, or 
by marks blazed on the trees. In more peace¬ 
ful times a brave often hunted alone and his 
family lived in a lonely wigwam far re¬ 
moved from the habitations of other hunters, 
but this year it was considered more safe for 
all to hunt together, alternating on the hunting 
grounds. 

Early the next morning the new hunting 
camp fire was kindled and the ceremonials ob¬ 
served. Then the braves departed in the direc¬ 
tion of Pautipaug to set traps at Beaver Brook, 
and, while waiting for the silky-furred animals 
to be entrapped, went in pursuit of larger 
game. The forests abounded in wolves, foxes, 
moose and deer. The hunters had been 
trained from childhood to know the habits of 
every creature, their lairs and the best methods 
for entrapping them, so that every night a good 
quantity of game was carried in. 

To direct them on the right trails, each 
hunter placed in his pouch the hunting charm, 
or carrying strap, decorated with the figures of 
the animals they hoped to find. Without these 
symbols of prayer for game to invoke the spirit 
that led the hunter to it, how could they hope 
for success? Without them they could not 




MOON OF THE FALLING LEAF 


285 


communicate with the spirits of the slain ani¬ 
mals, to ask pardon for taking their lives, and 
the game might warn the spirits of other beasts 
against the hunter. 

Certain choice portions of each variety of 
game were reserved for sacrifice. Each eve¬ 
ning before the meal was served, Jeets Bodan- 
sha and the other women cast the sacrificial 
offering into the fire while murmuring the 
proper ritual. All the rites were carefully ob¬ 
served so they were rewarded by an abundant 
supply of large game and there was no danger 
of famine. 

The braves were careful not to deplete the 
supply of game in any locality, so later in the 
moon they directed their hunting toward the 
northwest. 

The women had dug the smoke pits and built 
the drying frames on the low land and, pro¬ 
tected by the soldiers guarding on the plain 
above the bank, they worked with the roar of 
the waterfall accompanying their songs. 

At brief intervals Pigeon Wing helped her 
mother and Little Bird about scraping the 
skins, or started little bark canoes on long 
voyages down the River. Crow Feather, during 
his play, kept his small bow and arrows always 




286 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


at hand for, as he seriously remarked to the 
soldiers, “Who knows what wild creature 
might attack my mother and sisters?” 

Sometimes under the friendly care of Sol¬ 
dier John, the children climbed to the cliff 
overlooking the Falls and watched the water 
dashing over the great boulders and churning 
about in the deep, round holes in the soft rocks 
at the base. Clouds of spray arose and they 
laughed as it blew in their faces, while they 
were waiting to see the rainbow in the mist. 
The lonely scouts guarding the Showtuck were 
frequent visitors, for the welcome of their 
friends and the more appetizing food of the 
hunters’ wigwams made a strong appeal. 

Although he visited the other families, Tan- 
taquidgeon came most frequently to the wig¬ 
wam of Occum. While talking with the hunter 
he found opportunity for many an adoring 
glance at Little Bird as she served him with 
warm food. He had made several brief visits 
to the wigwam for the ostensible purpose of 
consulting Occum about the polishing of a 
bow, or the fastening of a flint arrow head to 
the shaft. One Sun-gone, after the evening 
meal was finished and Occum had filled his 
tammank (pipe) for the customary smoke, the 



MOON OF THE FALLING LEAF 


287 


entrance mat was swung aside and Tantaquid- 
geon entered with some object concealed un¬ 
der his fur mantle. 

Occum invited him to sit in the place of 
honor and Little Bird, at the bidding of her 
mother, rose to set food before him. While she 
was preparing it, Tantaquidgeon, throwing 
aside his mantle remarked, “I have come to 
show you a present that I have been making 
for the Sunjum.” Passing a wooden dish to 
Occum he continued, “If you see an imperfect 
place in the carving or think it should be pol¬ 
ished more with a stone, I wish you to tell me.” 

The young man busied himself with the over¬ 
large portion of food that Little Bird had mis¬ 
chievously placed before him, knowing that he 
would have difficulty in obeying the rule of 
politeness to consume all of it so soon after his 
evening meal. Occum carefully inspected the 
bowl. He turned it about, noting its oval shape, 
the rim elevated at both ends and hovering 
over each, the head of a fox looking toward the 
inside of the dish. 

“The biyoti (bowl) is well done. The heads 
are natural and the Sunjum will be pleased 
with his own symbol.” 

“Would it be better to polish it more?” 



288 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


“No, that is sufficient, for a maple burl keeps 
smooth with use.” 

Quite forgetting that his own daughter was 
approaching marriageable age, Occum con¬ 
tinued in a jocular tone, “You will carve a fine 
dakwang some day, perhaps before many 
moons.” 

At this reference to the mortar necessary to 
every wigwam, with the veiled suggestion of 
an early marriage, the young man grew sober 
and answered respectfully, “I only hope that 
I have won sufficient honors,” and glanced in 
the direction of Little Bird, who had bent her 
head over her work, entirely concealing the 
flush that covered her cheeks. 

Tantaquidgeon tactfully turned the conver¬ 
sation, asking his host about the success of the 
trips to the beaver dams, knowing that when 
Occum began to relate the episodes of the 
hunting season, the passing of time would be 
forgotten and he could enjoy a long evening in 
the presence of the girl he loved. 

One day, never to be forgotten by Little Bird 
and the children, Tantaquidgeon persuaded 
their mother to go on a brief outing. Accom¬ 
panied also by Soldier John, he guided them 
along the trail until they came opposite the 



MOON OF THE FALLING LEAF 


289 


Leap. Here he described how the Narragan- 
setts in their fright had lost their way, and fail¬ 
ing to jump across the gorge, had landed on the 
rocks below. Returning to the basin they 
climbed the Trail past the sacred ground 
where members of the royal line were buried 
(and where Uncas would also be laid when 
the time came for his journey on the Long 
Trail); then across the plain and up the hill 
beyond, until they could see in the valley be¬ 
low, the spot where Miantonomo was captured 
near the ford of the Showtuck. Far, far 
away in the distance was visible the low 
mountain capped with a mineral, white as 
the snows of winter. 

Tantaquidgeon returned with them to the 
stronghold. Happy Little Bird, as she helped 
her mother prepare and serve the evening 
meal, had thoughts only for her youthful hero, 
after seeing the places where he had distin¬ 
guished himself; but the brave, observing the 
friendly attitude of the family toward the Sol¬ 
dier John, and his courtesy toward Little Bird, 
experienced so much jealousy that he returned 
to his duty feeling miserable and apprehensive. 

It was not long before he came for another 
brief visit and making an opportunity to speak 




290 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


alone with Jeets Bodansha, remarked, “I like 
not the Paleface guest. I fear that he will win 
the love of the little singer and, forgetting, 
leave her crushed and broken-hearted. A pale¬ 
face warrior lives not long in a Red Man’s 
camp.” 

Jeets Bodansha inquired sternly, “ Do you 
think that I do not guard my daughter well?” 
Then noting his suffering she softened her tone. 
“The soldier is a good, kind man and treats 
the older girl the same as her little sister. Is 
there no brave in Mohiks worthy of her regard 
that she should listen to a Paleface? Fear not!” 

With lightened heart Tantaquidgeon re¬ 
turned over the trail to his vigil. The mysteri¬ 
ous light and shadows underneath the silvery 
moon seeming to resemble the light and shad¬ 
ows of this strange new influence which was 
transforming his life. 

Indian summer had come and gone; the 
brown, dried leaves rustled dismally as the 
hunters walked through them under the leaden 
skies. Great flocks of Cohonks had already 
flown southward to their great winter home 
among the Powhatans. The wind blew cold 
and one night as the Moon of the Falling Leaf 
rose late, she wore a wampum belt of rainbow 



MOON OF THE FALLING LEAF 


291 


colors, which was a sign of bad weather, so it 
was no surprise when Father Sun did not come 
forth from his wigwam the next morning. 

A few large flakes of snow were driven by 
the North Wind from the snowy banks among 
the clouds, showing that Old Man Winter had 
already left his lodge in the sky and was on 
the trail to build his wigwam of snow and ice 
upon the earth. There were signs of a cold win¬ 
ter, for the animals had grown heavy coats and 
all varieties of nuts had been plentiful, so the 
squirrels would have sufficient for a long 
winter. 

Occum decided that it was time for his wife 
and children to return to their comfortable 
wigwam, so they began to break camp. The 
moose and deer hides and the soft, fine beaver 
skins were packed into the great dugout, but 
the mats and bark coverings were left on. the 
hunting lodge for the use of the soldiers and 
Red Squirrel, who was to remain for a while 
under the care of his older brother. A few 
braves, who had no young children, decided to 
remain longer but several families were em¬ 
barking already, for the homeward journey 
together. 

It required a longer time for Jeets Bodan- 



292 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


sha and Little Bird to settle Pigeon Wing and 
Crow Feather safely among the skins, so Oc- 
cum was the last to leave. Only an instant be¬ 
fore he was ready to push off, Tantaquidgeon 
came running down the trail for a word of 
greeting and farewell. 

When she saw him coming a slight flush rose 
to the cheeks of Little Bird. As he bent over 
the canoe he whispered, “When the Chieftain 
releases me from duty here I will carry presents 
to your father.” 

She listened with glowing cheeks and low¬ 
ered lids as he continued, “If he accepts them 
and motions for me to sit in the place of honor 
behind the hearth fire, will the little song bird 
come and sit on the mat beside me? Will she 
show her willingness to have the Sunjum join 
our hands?” 

A slight nod of her head and a swift, shy 
glance were a satisfactory reply to the young 
brave. 

As the canoe glided away, Tantaquidgeon, 
his face lighted by the promise of love and 
happiness, shaded his eyes with his hand and 
stood watching, amid the now swiftly falling 
snow, until it had passed beyond the bend in 
the Great River and was hidden from view. 



MOON OF THE FALLING LEAF 293 


The falling flakes soon covered the earth 
with a soft, white mantle and the little rippling 
brooks, stilled by an icy grasp, no longer sang 
their songs. After a few more sleeps the Great 
River itself, wore a covering of glistening ice. 
Old Winter had come. 

While the time had not yet arrived for con¬ 
fidences to be exchanged between mother and 
daughter, Jeets Bodansha, selecting her finest 
and softest skins fashioned them into new gar¬ 
ments for Little Bird, who embroidered them 
in dainty patterns with quills and beads. A 
happy smile curved her lips and tenderness was 
in her eyes as she recalled the days of their 
meeting on the trail and in imagination heard 
the tones of his flute playing the love songs, or 
the impassioned tenderness in his voice, while 
she awaited the coming of Tantaquidgeon. 

Dreaming of their happy future, we leave 
them to its fulfillment in the Season of the 
Great Whiteness. 


THE END 




Epilogue 

Nearly three centuries have passed since 
the unknown hero lived, loved and followed 
the war trail. Gone are the wigwams, and the 
primeval forests, but in the poetic names of 
the places where they roamed, the memory 
of his people is preserved. 

A few of their descendants are still living 
in Mohegan beside their ancient and pictur¬ 
esque trail, now an improved automobile route, 
marked “Mohegan Trail,” extending from 
New London, Conn., to Lake Chaubunagunga- 
maug, or “place for fishing,” at Webster, Mass. 
A part of their home, Shantok Point, com¬ 
manding a beautiful view of their Great Pe- 
quot River (now the Thames) has become a 
State Park. A small section of the bluff has 
been enclosed by a stockade, within which is 
the final resting place of later members of 
the tribe. Rising between the scattered 
graves, a large wigwam-shaped monument of 
stones commemorates a later siege. 


294 


EPILOGUE 


295 


Late in the summer the Mohegans hold a 
festival—probably a survival of the Corn 
Feast—when a temporary arbor of saplings 
called the “Wigwam” is erected. Here Indian 
craft work is for sale, and yokeg and succo¬ 
tash are among the foods served. Visitors are 
welcomed by members of the tribe, with 
brightly colored quills adorning their dark 
hair, and wearing Indian costumes orna¬ 
mented with beadwork; while an occasional 
emblem may be noted, showing that an an¬ 
cestor belonged to the turtle, or other clans. 
No one bears the name of Uncas, but a de¬ 
scendant of Occum is called “Chief”, and Tan- 
taquidgeon and Skeesucks are found as 
surnames. 

Aside from Uncas, the most widely known 
member of the tribe has been the Rev. Sam¬ 
son Occum, who in 1766 and 1767 was sent 
to Great Britain to raise funds for the Indian 
Seminary in Connecticut. Through his 
preaching, ten thousand pounds were secured, 
and the school was transferred to New Hamp¬ 
shire and incorporated as Dartmouth College. 

Other memorials preserve their story. At 
Norwich, four miles above Shantok, is the 
Great Plain, traversed by the first turnpike in 



296 


THE UNKNOWN INDIAN 


New England. Beside the road a boulder 
with a bronze tablet bears the inscription: 

Near this spot on the “Great Plains” in 16^3 
the Mohegans defeated the Narragansetts in 
the most conspicuous purely Indian fight re¬ 
corded in the annals of New England. 

Gone are the great Chieftains, with their 
braves who participated in the battle. From 
the memory of their feuds the bitterness has 
faded, for, at the commemorative ceremonies 
when the tablet was unveiled, “Princess” 
Tantaquidgeon was assisted by a maiden of 
the Narragansetts. 

Continuing along the trail of the moccasined 
feet, within the City are the Falls of the Yantic 
and the Leap, made famous by the battle. 
Across the gorge is the Royal Indian Burying 
Ground where in memory of his friendship 
for the Paleface settlers, citizens of a later 
generation have erected a granite shaft which 
marks the resting place of Uncas. 

Through the forest of Mohegan Park, 
named in honor of the tribe, the trail winds 
over the ledges where Tantaquidgeon pur¬ 
sued the fleeing Chieftain to Sachem’s Plain. 
There, not far east of the long “Mohegan 
Trail”, a monument marked MIANTONOMO 



EPILOGUE 


297 


1643, commemorates the traditional place of 
his capture. He was executed, probably, in 
the forests of the Podunk tribe, who were 
tributary to Uncas, in the part of their country 
now East Hartford. 

Gertrude Bell Browne. 










GLOSSARY 


awausseus...bear 
bagenud... hunting pouch 
baiog.. .ten 
biyoti.. .bowl 

bitkas... long dress or skirt of 
womanhood 

Blesulgwan... Pigeon Wing 
cohonks.. .wild geese 
dakwang... mortar 
gackatcang.. .will-o’-the-wisp 
gadon.. .Vinter, freezing time 
Gluskap.. .Creator of Life 
gun.. .fallen snow 
gungawantc... leggins 
gwansnag.. .long stone 
hobbamocks... evil spirit 
Jeets Bodansha.. .Bird Fly¬ 
ing 

Jeetseesh.. .Little Bird 
jibai... ghosts 
jo kwien.. .wigwam 
Kago Moegwon... Crow 
Feather 

kskac saen.. .northwest, or 
wide-way wind 
ktcais... husband 
maingan.. .wolf 
makas... moccasin 
makia wisag... dwarfs or 
little people 
makkia... dwarf 
Manisses.. .Block Island 
manuda.. .basket 


Massapequottuck".. .Great 
Pequot River or Thames 
River 

metomp.. .Head band 
mischcuppaoug.. .scup or 
porgy 

Mishi Yantuck.. .Loud-voiced 
River 

Mohiksinug.. .Mohegans 
moiguwag.. .witch doctors 
munnawhat.. .menhaden, a 
fish used as fertilizer 
mundowi... sacred 
Namakkis.. .my son 
Namu.. .See 
Nannang.. .my mother 
Natanis.. .my daughter 
Nekanis.. .my brother 
nequot...one 
nipau...five 
Nuc.. .my father 
Nujanas.. .my grandfather 
Oxo-paug-suck.. .Oxoboxo 
River 

piamang.. .fish 
pipsissewa.. .Prince’s pine 
quahaug. . .shell 
Quinihtituck... Long River 
or Connecticut River 
Quinnipiack.. .New Haven 
skwa yo...red 
Suckiang.. .Hartford 
suga yo.. .black 


298 


GLOSSARY 


29'9 


su jpo... snow falling 
suktac... succotash 
Sunjum... Sachem 
tamank... pipe 
tca-na-mid.. .trickster 
Weyungoo... Bright Moon 


wickwuskessu.. .robin 
wigwom.. .wigwam 
witum... wind 
wiwat-caman.. .corn 
yokeg.. .parched com 
zi wamba yo.. .indigo 













































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